


I Didn't Believe Them/When They Called You/A Hurricane Thunderclap

by HkHk



Series: Time Travel for Dummies [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Fix-It, Goddamn they deserve to be happy, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-24
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-03 04:39:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 31,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5276975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HkHk/pseuds/HkHk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her hands covered her mouth even as she mentally processed what was going on right before her eyes. It was impossible sight. He was dead. He was dead. Nothing of him was left but the piercing cold. </p><p>Anakin Skwywalker stood before her as if stepped out of a holovid, his brown hair swept back, blue eyes meeting hers. "Hey Snips." His presence in the Force blazed at her, a beacon of light in the suffocating darkness. </p><p>Something crumbled inside her even as her emotions clawed up her chest. "Master?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is working on the idea that when Ahsoka probed the pilot of the TIE she figured out it was Anakin at the same time Vader figured out she was alive. 
> 
> This fic is spawned from my desire to make Anakin happy. To make Ahsoka happy. For them to change the world. So there will be inconsistencies. 
> 
> This is before, Always Two There Are

_Listen, I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never._

Ahsoka rolled onto her side, her legs curled close to her chest. She closed her eyes tightly before opening them, staring at the blank wall of the Ghost. "You lied." She said to the emptiness. For years she had carried the lives of the Jedi Order, laying low, trying to help when able. She had heard of Darth Vadar and she had cursed him. But she never encountered him in person, never felt the coldness of his Force presence. 

She was lucky. He...he would have killed her without any recognition on his part. She would have ended up like the rest of the Jedi who attempted to take down the Dark Lord's enforcer. The thought was sobering. She was never on the same planet as him so she never had a chance to cross blades. Or was he avoiding her? What was left of her old master? Could she beat him? He taught her everything she knew, but that was then, this is now. She had some new tricks up her sleeve. 

The Ghost shuddered so suddenly Ahsoka fell out of her bunk onto the cold floor. "Hera?" She commed. 

"Nothing to worry about. Just a bit of turbulence." 

"In hyperspace?" 

"Yeah. I'm wondering about that too. Better hold on, it's going to be a bumpy road." 

 

* * *

Anakin Skywalker sat in his damaged starfighter and groaned. That could have gone better. What should have been an easy mission turned into a clusterfuck. The moment they exited hyperspace, they were barraged with weapon's fire. A good fourth of the 501st got wiped out before they could even scramble fighters. Once he entered the battlefield, they were able to push back. But then reinforcements came and they all had to leave. It was by the Will of the Force that he picked up a hyperdrive docking ring and managed to retreat from the battlefield. Except for the fact that he had no idea where he was and was lucky to not have reemerged in the middle of a planet. One does not jump randomly. It gets people and ships killed.

Now he was drifting in empty space with a half dead ship and no one else to talk to. 

If he had his padawan, she could have helped. If he had his padawan, they probably could have turned the tide. Where would she be now? What would she be doing? She hadn't even commed him yet! It's been a week since she left. It might make the aching pain in his chest subside. He was going to worry himself to death over Ahsoka. She may have left the Order, it didn't mean she left him. Even if all signs seem to point that way. Maybe she just didn't have enough credits to send him a message? That could be true. It could happen. 

Did she sever all ties? Even to him? That would hurt, Snips. It really would Anakin thought gloomily. 

"Is this why attachment isn't allowed?" Anakin asked the emptiness of space as his hands worked on repairing the damage done to his starfighter. The navigation was a wreck and R4 was damaged in the battle. He was all alone, just him and his thoughts. 

He ran a quick diagnostic. Everything was functioning except the hyperdrive and the communication array. The hyperdrive docking ring refused to work. Most likely it was damaged during the battle when he made an ill timed jump to hyperspace. From what he could see from the cockpit, the ring itself was smoking slightly, not to mention it was missing a piece from the actual ring. He needed to find a space port or land on the nearest hospitable planet. Either option would take time and fuel that he won't have. What he needed was a working navigation system! 

He could attempt to use fuel cells to enhance his comlink and send a distress signal and hope someone would pick up. Or drift in space for 2 days and then die of asphyxiation. 

While mulling over his choices, the console lit up, spitting out a message of a ship exiting hyperspace. Right on top of him. 

"Sith spit." He pulled his damaged starfighter to the side, using the thrusters to clear the area just in time as a starship exited out of hyperspace. It was of Corellian design a VCX-100 light freighter if he wasn't mistaken. But most importantly, not a Separatist ship. Anakin did power up the weapons just in case. There were enemies everywhere and mercenaries who would see him as an easy target. 

With the communication array knocked out, he couldn't exactly communicate with the starfighter. Well, he could modify his comlink and hopefully the starship would be able to pick up the signal. "Unknown starfighter, this is Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. My navigation was fried and my ship need repairs. Is there a nearby planet or space port?" 

There was a long pause and he almost transmitted his message again when the comlink crackled. _"This is Captain Hera Syndulla of the Ghost. We know of a space port nearby. We can show you the way."_

"Roger. Thank you." 

Anakin began to guide his ship towards the Ghost. As he got closer, he realized, there were Jedi on the ship. He could feel them in the Force but their presence was muted. They were all cloaked, suppressed to a point where if he weren't as sensitive as he was, he wouldn't have noticed. One that was strangely familiar but he couldn't put a finger as to why. It was like some itch on the back of his head and it refused to quiet down. If there were Jedi on the ship they must be on some sort of mission. He may have just busted their mission wide open. Or not. Hopefully not. He'd hate to explain to the Council how his blunder messed up someone else's mission.

As promised there was a space port a few lightyears away but it looked to be heavily guarded. Anakin slowly piloted his ship past following in the shadow of the starship. This pointed towards the idea that they very could be a group of mercenaries or pirates and he may have stumbled on some Jedi's deep undercover mission.

Well then. He'd just have to be careful.

Anakin landed his Eta-2 Actis-class interceptor, noting the guards in white at the corner of his eye through the cockpit. The Ghost parked itself next to him, the crew disembarking. 

Well, he'd been tougher situations than this. No. Actually, he hadn't. Not alone. He'd always had Obi-Wan or Ahsoka. 

As much as this situation screamed danger to him, the Force did not. In fact, it was quite placid and peaceful here. The only one inciting panic was him. Anakin took a deep breath and exhaled releasing his anxiety into the Force. 

Time to face the music. 

* * *

 

By the time Ahsoka got to the cockpit, everyone else was there and shouting over each other as to what Hera should do. 

Then they were knocked out of hyperspace and almost crash landed onto another ship. Ahsoka held onto the seat for dear life as the ship shuddered. Chopper made a screaming sound as he rolled into a wall. Everyone else had grabbed onto something and held on. 

"Well that was fun, let's do it again." Sabine muttered shaking her head. 

"Everyone alright? Nothing on fire? No one dying?" 

A chorus of affirmation was Hera's response. "Good news we're not that far off from our destination. Bad new, we have company." 

"What is that?" Erza asked, peering over the co-pilot's seat almost on top of Kanan. "Isn't that--" 

"A Jedi starfighter." Kanan said softly his eyes hard. "From the Clone War era." 

Ahsoka shuddered imperceptibly. There was something unusually familiar about that ship. There was something eye catching about the yellow markings. She saw something like this before. She saw it somewhere. Why else was she getting such a strange reeling?

"It looks like an Eta-2 Actis-interceptor, a rather beat up one but still functional." Hera ran a quick scan of the starfighter before them. "And it powered up its weapons..." 

While they were quite mobile, they had also taken damage being forced out of hyperspace. That and Ahsoka knew the firepower of a Jedi starfighter. It would be able to run loops around them she flew one herself after all on multiple combat missions. Yet, she knew for certain it would not. She could sense.....she could feel...

The Force was strong in the pilot. 

"Can you hail them, Hera? See what they want?" Kanan asked, focused on the ship, no doubt sensing what she was sensing. 

"I have. Looks like the communication ray got knocked off. Must of been in some battle, see the fresh burn marks?" 

 _"Unknown star-_ "The console beeped as static filled the hold. _"is Sk-"_ Hera attempted to salvage the rest of the message. _"My ship needs repairs. Is there a nearby planet or spaceport?"_

Ahsoka didn't hear anything else as the very familiar voice resounded in her head.

No. 

**_NO_ **

She sat down, hand against her chest. Carefully, very carefully, she reached out with the Force. Could it be? Was it possible? 

"Ahsoka?" 

The Togruta looked up at Kanan's worried face. "I felt something. He--" She couldn't say it. She couldn't bring herself to say it. If she spoke, it would make it real. It would make it tangible and true. It couldn't be true. It shouldn't even be possible. 

"He's a Force user." Kanan explained. "Probably explains the fighter. He could have been a padawan during the war and managed to survive the Purges. Not sure how he stayed under the notice of the Empire with his starfighter. It would help the Rebels if we could figure out how." 

 _How did they copy his voice?_ Ahsoka sat stricken, her fingers trembling in her lap. For a man over a decade dead, his voice brought back a surge of feelings inside her that she had thought long buried. Then there was that encounter with Vader. The coldness that she had felt, the mind numbing sensation that had threatened to spread to her and freeze her from the inside. Her training bond to her master had long since deteriorated, he wouldn't be able to find her through that. He hadn't tried for that matter.

"If he's a spy, he won't be able to escape. The facility is closely guarded and without the hyperdrive docking ring he won't be able to get far." Hera reasoned. 

"Is he a Jedi like you Kanan?" Erza asked innocently. 

"Maybe." Kanan had the thousand yard stare look on his face. 

Ahsoka remained silent. She didn't trust her voice. Her fears clouded her thoughts, it could be a manifestation of that, of the dark side making her think a certain way. It was impossible. She met her old master and he- he would have killed her if they fought. There was nothing left of her master in that shell, nothing but the dark side. Someone had put a lot of effort in making her think Anakin Skywalker came back. 

She would have their heads. 

It made sense that Vader would send people out to find her. She was a thorn in the Empire's side. But this was low. 

Ahsoka was the first person down the landing bay, her hands on her hips, ready to draw her weapons. Kanan followed closely shooting her looks. He was confused, she could sense it. Kanan may have been skilled in the Force but the years had atrophied his skills, even her teachings would not compensate for time. But that did not mean she didn't trust him in a fight. But he was half trained and she had been trained by one of the best. In another world, another time; she would have been the youngest knight in the Order. But that was neither here or now. 

The Jedi starfighter settled onto the floor with an easy grace that belied its damaged appearance. The canopy was frosted, she wouldn't know who it was until they exited the starfighter. Ahsoka steeled herself as tension tightened her muscles. She would be able to strike in a heartbeat if she needed to. 

Then the pilot climbed out, his booted feet touching the hanger bay floors without a sound. The heavy swish of his cloak followed as did the profile of his face. Eyes the color of a cloudless sky looked at her companions in turn, seizing them up. They were almost the same height now, he had looked so big when she was younger and now they were at even footing. A shapeshifter would have at least aged him. No, he was the same age. The same worry lines at the edges of his eyes. Even a shapeshifter wouldn't have been able to copy the fluidity of his movements, the way he turned his body defensively and faced them, hand drifting close to his belt to where his lightsaber was hooked.

Or his Force presence. He wasn't even hiding it. Here, she could feel it, the blaze of the sun against her skin. The brightness of it, dimmed only by whatever burdens Anakin had shouldered during the war. Shakily, she touched her dead training bond. It had been fifteen years, there should be nothing there-certainly Vader didn't try to speak to her through it.

_/Master?/_

Anakin's eyes snapped to hers. A flood of emotion surged through the bond, a sliver of a string connecting the two of them, a gentle tether between two souls.

"Ahsoka?" His voice was thick, concern and confusion painting his word. 

Ahsoka felt herself lose balance, her legs refused to hold her body up and she folded, catching herself before she hit the floor. "Ahsoka?" Dimly she was aware of Kanan's worried question. More importantly, she felt her old master approach like thunder, his presence before her. He was there in mere seconds, his warm hands around her body, pulling her up to her feet. 

They were almost the same height. Now she could look him in the eyes. She could see the worry in his face and in his Force presence. 

"You grew up," Anakin's words were quiet, for her only, not caring about everyone else. She was the only thing reflected in his eyes.

"Didn't I tell you that one day I'll be as tall as you?" Her voice didn't crack at all, not once. 

"Not this soon." He said softly.

She threw herself into his arms, nearly making the younger (hah) Jedi stumble back. She buried her face into the crook of his neck. It was him. It smelled like him a mix of engine oil and grease. Their training bond-she could feel it, fragile as it was. She tentatively accepted and strengthened it on her end. She sensed his relief. He was worried about her. He had been worrying about her for days. 

Oh Master.

She could feel his comforting strength steadying her. She missed this. She missed being in his presence. She missed _him_ .

Ahsoka pulled herself away suddenly aware of her surroundings. The rest of the crew of the Ghost stared at them both. Sabine and Hera had their blasters out but at their sides. 

"Um..." Erza raised his hand. "What's going on?" 

"That is something I would like to know as well." Kanan said flatly. "Who are you?" 

Anakin lifted his chin, all six feet of him straightened and the effect was quite noticeable. He was a General after all. "Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. Who are you?" 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is some skirting around the truth.

"Who?" Erza broke the tension, looking between Anakin and Kanan and Ahsoka. He looked completely lost.

Zeb scratched his head,"Isn't Anakin Skywalker that guy from the Clone Wars?"

"Yeah. Isn't he supposed to be like sixty years old or something by now?" Sabine gestured with a hand. "He looks to be twenty years old."

Anakin twitched. Ahsoka hid her smile behind her hand.

"Eh." Zeb shrugged. "I could take him."

"Everyone quiet." Hera raised her voice, silencing the group. She stepped forward and raised a hand in greeting. "I am Captain Hera Syndulla of the Ghost. This is my crew. If you have any questions, you can direct them at me." 

Anakin matched her greeting with his own. "Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker. I like your ship, it's a modified VCX-100 light freighter isn't it?" 

"You have a good eye. Are you a mechanic?" 

Anakin shrugged. "It's a hobby." 

This time Ahsoka couldn't help the snort. Her master built his own protocol droid, constantly modified his starfighter and he's claiming it's a hobby? He sounded so modest all of a sudden. It was so out of character she couldn't help but respond.

"I also couldn't help but notice how you landed your damaged starfighter, very smooth." 

"You fly?" 

Hera shrugged mimicking his previous motion. "It's a hobby." 

Kanan raised an eyebrow at the exchange. But he didn't interrupt. He trusted that Hera knew what she was doing.

Erza rasied his hand again. "Um..is it just me but am I the only one in the room who feels confused?"

Zeb raised a hand in agreement.

"Weird shit happens to me so I'm not too surprised maybe resigned." Anakin said in explanation. "Finding my former padawan all grown up is a nice surprise. Better than getting shot at." 

"And you just...accept it?" Hera asked, a weird expression on her face. 

"One must trust in the Force." He glances over at Ahsoka. "I'm sure Ahsoka will explain to me as to what's going on. I'm pretty sure I'm in the future, that or dead. I'm also pretty sure this isn't the Force."

Ahsoka frowned even as she adopted a serious expression. "You're right. I do need to explain a few things. Captain, I'm going to take Master Skywalker to my quarters. I trust you can give the briefing?"

"Of course."  

The Togruta woman grabbed Anakin's hand and walked off, taking him with her. 

Kanan watched their departure before taking his hand off his lightsaber. "What's going on?" Hera asked by his side. 

"I don't know." The person standing before them was a Force user, that he could ascertain but his identity? 

Anakin Skywalker was dead. He died on Mustafar sixteen years ago.

Who is he? And why did Ahsoka trust him so much?

* * *

 Once they were out of sight range, Ahsoka released her grip, scooting back slightly. As much sunshine and happiness her master was, she could still remember the darkness in Vader. Was it in him all along? Or was he lured to the darkside? The terrifying part of all this was that a part of her didn't care. That part of her was trying to convince the rest of her that everything was going to be fine. Her master was back, in the flesh, the way she remembered him. Alive and most of all a Jedi. 

"That guy looked familiar." Anakin said speculatively, following Ahsoka. He snapped his fingers. "But I can't recall why. It's really bothering me."

"He was Master Billaba's padawan." Ahsoka answered as she traversed the familiar twists and turns of the corridors. "She took one after she woke up from her coma." 

"What?"

"It must have happened a few months later after I left, Master." Ahsoka halted suddenly forcing Anakin to side step so he wouldn't bump into her. 

"What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. I-" She sighed. "It's very complicated." 

"I'm all ears." 

"Later. After we get to my quarters." 

A few minutes later they arrived at her quarters, stepping inside and immediately Anakin noted that these were totally not her quarters. For one thing, the room was sparsely furnished, there was a small bed and a nightstand and it barely looked like it could fit one person comfortably let alone two. Further more, he knew Ahsoka's tastes in decoration due to an ill timed decision to grab his padawan early in the morning. He did not know how many knives one person could collect over a year or that each one looked to be carefully cared for and was probably sharp enough to cut off his other arm. She looked like a sweet cinnamon roll but could probably kill you. 

This place was more like a temporary sleeping quarter. Just a place to rest your bones until your next engagement. It was a lot like what they were used to in the war. 

They sat on the floor, their knees touching. Just the lightest of physical interaction yet it made his heart leap into his chest. Now he could actually look at her and examine her. 

His young padawan became a knight! She had thrived and grown and became everything he wanted her to be. Everything that he is. How could he not be proud of her?

"You're smiling." Ahsoka noted. 

"I'm just so happy for you." Anakin said a grin on his face. "I like your new clothes." 

"Thanks." 

Slowly, his smile slipped off his face in the ensuing silence. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?" 

His padawan pursed her lips before responding, her voice was grave as she explained what had occurred in the future. Of the Fall. Of the Purges. Of Order 66.

What joy he had dwindled and died and was covered with sorrow and grief so thick he wasn't sure if it was all his or parts of her seeping in their bond. At some point her voice cracked and tears streamed down her cheeks. At some point he had climbed to his knees so he could pull her into a hug, her face pressed against his shoulder. His own tears had dried up long before then, a Jedi calm had settled into his chest soothing his rage. The pain in Ahsoka's mind had bled into his and he couldn't help but feel everything. How could he not? He would not shut her out when she needed him.

"What of...Senator Amidala?" He asked in a hushed whisper, still holding his grown up padawan in his arms. "She wouldn't have let this happen." _Not while she lived._

"I'm sorry Master." He could feel her answer in the Force long before she spoke. "She died at the start of the Purges." 

"And the baby?" 

"The baby?" He could hear a pause and with slow dread, he knew the truth. "I-I don't know."

_She was dead. Padme was dead._

 

All he could feel was heartbreak. There was nothing else. It felt as if someone had scooped out his insides and let him a hollow man. His angel was gone. 

Anakin pulled away, his knees on the floor, hands on Ahsoka's shoulders. He knew his eyes were red rimmed and his face was wet with tears but it didn't matter. Not here. Not with Ahsoka. Retelling the story had left its tolls on the Togruta Jedi. There was a weariness in her that was so out of place with her youth. He wanted to destroy whoever hurt his padawan with vengeance.

"How could this happen?" 

Ahsoka's eyes shifted down and then up. "You won't like it." 

Anakin managed a weak smile. "I'm pretty sure I don't like anything about the future. You can't say anything else to make it worse." 

"You wanan bet?" There was no joking tone in her voice, just the sureness of someone who knew they were going to win the argument and they really didn't want to. 

"Who was it? Dooku?" 

"No. He died before all of this." Ahsoka took a deep breath and steadied herself. "It was Palaptine." 

Anakin felt himself freeze, an argument on his lips, anger shooting up his spine. 

"He was the Sith Lord who orchestrated the war. He turned the galaxy against the Jedi." Ahsoka's hands rested on his wrists pulling his hands down before he could protest. "I have proof." 

He wanted to shout at her, to defend his long time friend but he didn't. He couldn't. Not when she looked at him in that way. Not when her grief was still fresh on her face. 

"Show me." 

She returned with a holoprojector and turned it on. Anakin watched with frozen horror as Palpatine declared the Jedi Order an enemy of the Empire, as he declared himself Emperor. His faith in Palpatine, the one thing that he knew to be true, was crushed like glass thrown into rocks. The image of the Jedi Temple on fire, smoke billowing from the Towers felt like he was stabbed in the chest with a lightsaber. Pain radiated up his chest and through his arm. Was he dying? It had to be. How could he live with such pain?

He wanted to declare her a liar. He wanted to deny everything. _Palpatine was his friend! His confidant. He trusted him!_ Anger overwhelmed his senses. It turned his blood thick and hot in his veins. _Palpatine betrayed him! Betrayed the Republic! Everything he stood for was lies. He lied to me. **He manipulated me!!**  _The rage curled in his brain and his jaw clenched painfully. The veins in his neck throbbed. His vision grew red as his heart thundered in his chest. Hunched over, his fists slammed against the floor and all he could think of was how he was deceived. What a fool he was made into. 

"Master?" 

Anakin looked up and was taken aback by the fear he saw. Ahsoka looked ready to retreat. She was looking at _him._

When he opened up his senses, only then did he feel the dark side shockingly thick in the room, all centered on him. The light that was Ahsoka was gradually being smothered. 

Anakin thought of Ahsoka, of her thirteen year old face looking up at his with trust that he hadn't yet earned. He thought of Obi-Wan Kenobi and of all the missions and memories they shared. He thought of Padme and her love for him and the child that she would bring into the galaxy. He held these images in his head, their smiles and their laughter and focused on it. They were his family and he wasn't going to let anyone take them from him.

_Listen, I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never._

_If I recall correctly, I saved you from the gundark nest Master._

_You're pregnant?_

He held onto those images and words. There was still hope. He could still go back and save them. He could save them all. He began to release his grief into the Force and with it his pain. Gradually he worked on flattening his cramped and curled fingers. Sweat dripped down his back and he shivered from the chill. How close was he to falling? He almost snapped. Obi-Wan was right. He wasn't ready. Not yet. A true Jedi would have taken the news with serenity. A true Jedi-

"Master." Ahsoka scooted closer, her wide blue eyes looking him over. "Are you alright?" 

Through their bond he felt her worry and apprehension. She saw him touch the darkside ever so briefly but it was enough. He won't ever forget the way her face lost pallor or the way she blanched when he looked at her. This was his fault. If he were a true Jedi-

"I know this is a lot to absorb but you had to know the truth. I wish that it wasn't. I wish I could wake up at the Temple and greet all the people that I've known all my life. I wish that this was all a dream. But it isn't. The Sith Lord is still alive and still rules the galaxy." Ahsoka took a deep breath before continuing." You know, I dreamed of this day actually. I would wake up and you'd walk in with a ridiculous look on your face and some mission that would end up with us running for our lives." 

"I've joined up with the Rebellion." Ahsoka let a small smile grace her face. "Senator Amidala helped start it." 

His face hurt so much that even smiling was an effort. "That's my-" Anakin paused eyeing Ahsoka. "Senator." 

Ahsoka actually rolled her eyes at him. "I know you two were an item."

"Really?" 

"Eh, I made a guess. You were always over at her place and there were some other things." Ahsoka gestured with one hand, shrugging one elegant shoulder. "If its any consolation, I'm sure the only reason I knew was because I was your padawan. We're nosey little things. Besides, you had Padme give me the Talk. Seriously?" 

"What? Women are mysterious creatures and dangerous during a full moon." 

"Master." Ahsoka shook her head.

"Want to get drunk? You're old enough now, right?" 

"Master." This time she couldn't hide the flatness in her voice. "I'm older than you are." 

 "Details." 

The two shared a laugh. Ahsoka leaned into Anakin,"I missed you so much." 

"I missed you too Snips." He leaned back, putting his arm on her shoulder, his head resting on her lekku. Absentmindedly, he noted that it had grown rather long, as did the rest of her.

They sat in a comfortable silence. Anakin heaved a sigh. "I don't think we can stay here forever no matter how tempting it is at the moment. We have a galaxy to save." 

"Oh?" 

"Yeah." He pulled his arm away and stood up. "I'm going to go back home. I'm going to stop this. I will end this before it ever occurs." 

"Are you certain that is possible?" 

"I was brought here somehow. I'll figure a way back. In the meantime, I'm joining the Rebellion too. They need an experienced Jedi. Well, one more." He looked at Ahsoka confidentially.

She was absolutely speechless and yet not surprised by his declaration.  

"Between the two of us, we can liberate the galaxy from the Sith." Anakin said with what he thought was a reassuring smile. "As long as we live, the Jedi Order lives with us." 

 _So the apprentice lives._ Ahsoka shivered at his words. 

"Snips?" 

"We're going to save the galaxy, just the two of us?" She got to her feet, a wry smile on her lips. 

"Just like the good days." He grinned at her a defiant spark in his eyes. "The Sith Lord won't even know what hit him." 

* * *

_Meanwhile in the Imperial Palace_

Emperor Palpatine stared at the star map. He just had the oddest dream. It was of his death. He was fighting a young Togruta Jedi and with her was another Jedi one whose face was obscured. He had the upper hand for the longest of times, toying with the two Jedi but then--

Palpatine frowned, his sallow skin wrinkled and aged through his usage of the dark side. A few hours ago he had felt a disturbance in the Force and that had lead him into a meditation. He peered through the Force to seek out this disruption in his plans. It was a vergence in the Force that much he could tell. But of what? He could not grasp it in his mind's eye. 

An unknown entity has joined the game. Who or what it is would soon find itself before him either dead or kneeling. 

Perhaps it would be prudent to find the young Togruta Jedi first. She would lead him to other Jedi. Oh yes. 

He did not plan on dying anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vader dreams.

Vader dreams. 

He dreams of her death once more. He dreams of his angel. He dreams of Padme. He dreams of the end of goals, of ruin, of failure. Her lovely face is enshrouded in smoke, her face squeezed into a painful expression, and she cries out. "Anakin!" 

He dreams of the betrayal. Jedi fall before him dissipating into shadow. It is disappointing how little resistance they give him. They die over and over in his dream, faceless wraiths that scream as they are cut down. In his dreams he's chasing Kenobi. It's hot again. The air smells like ash and sulfure and pain. He burns again. He burns and burns and burns and there is nothing that he can do. 

He's still chasing Kenobi through the ash, through the fire, through the searing pain that settles in his lungs and chest. 

The figure turns around, her graceful figure cut through the cloth and she beams up at him her eyes guileless. "Hey Master." 

Vader halts, the cybernetics in his limbs creak in protest. "I am not your Master." He feels nothing. 

"I know." Ahsoka says with a sad smile. "I lo-" 

He kills her quickly with a sweep of his red lightsaber,  and she falls with a wide eyed expression on her face. She was too quick to trust, there was nothing of Anakin Skywalker left in him. There was only Vader and his mission to bring order to the galaxy. There was only his Master's will. 

Vader woke slowly. He waited for the machines to prepare his suit as he was carried out of the pressure chamber. Years ago he would have been furious at this, at his fate, at Obi-Wan's betrayal. Now there was only certainty. Certainty that he will come for Kenobi, that he will see his body laid out before him. 

Anakin Skywalker's apprentice lives. The touch of her mind against his, her Force presence was snapped back as if burnt. She should have remained in hiding. He would gain no pleasure in hunting her down and killing her. 

He prepares for his day. But it doesn't truly start until he's on his knee before the holoprojector. Nothing begins until his Master shows himself. 

"What is thy bidding, my Master." He bows his head and listens. 

He waits for orders. 

* * *

  _Hidden Rebel Space Port:_

Anakin jerks awake, his breathing erratic as his lungs claw for air. He rolls out of bed, grabbing his robe. It takes a few minutes for him to regain his bearing, for his chest to stop heaving and the tenseness of his muscles to abate. It was that dream again. The one where Padme dies. But his dreams were never this- He couldn't control himself in the dream. It felt like he was stuck in place, watching through someone else's eyes. 

He stares at his hands while resting his head against the cold wall of the fresher. 

The image of Ahsoka lying dead before him-

He leaves his room and goes over to where Ahsoka was staying. He knocks once and the door slides open revealing his former apprentice. She looked as tired as he felt, her eyes going from his face to his chest then back up to his face. "Master?" 

It never really occurs to him to dress fully. Or that his apprentice was in the same state as he was, disheveled, clothes pulled loosely over her body.

"Ahsoka could I-" He takes a step forward and then spots the figure on the bed over Ahsoka's shoulders. He couldn't determine the gender, but it sure as hell didn't look like a pillow. His foot passes the threshold as he draws a sharp conclusion.

"No! Wait." She pushes him back and closes the door on his face. 

Through the door he could hear murmured whispers and movement. 

A few minutes later she steps out. He was pretty sure she was blushing. "So..." Anakin crossed his arms across his bare chest. 

"What?" Ahsoka looked at him defensively. 

'I'm not even going to ask." He held his hands up. "What you do is up to you. You're all grown up Snips." 

"Glad to see you approve." 

"Was that sarcasm I sense?" 

"Maybe." Ahsoka cast a look at Anakin's appearance. "What's bothering you?" 

"Is it a crime to see my favorite padawan?" 

"I'm your only padawan." 

"Exactly." 

"I'm not your padawan anymore." Ahsoka shook her head. "What's bothering you?" 

Anakin wanted to tell her about his dreams. There was so much about himself that she doesn't know. They were supposed to be partners. But he's not been good at that has he? There were secrets that they all hiding from each other. What was a dream? Especially in a world where it had all come to pass? Padme was already beyond his grasp. The Jedi Order was hunted down. And Ahsoka?

Felled by his blade. Her last breath escaping her, a death rattle, the trust in her face morphing into shock. 

His words got caught in his throat. "We should train. It's been years since we've sparred." 

She gave him a look, one that took him in and measured him. He felt swallowed in her eyes, the blueness seemed inescapable. "Sure. Let me grab my sabers. You should get dressed." 

Now it was his turn to blush. 

* * *

"I can't take him."

Zeb watches the fight over Erza's head, his jaw dropped. Erza was in the same state with a gaping awed look on his face.

It was like watching a whirlwind of death fight another whirlwind of death. This is a Jedi? He'd seen Kanan fight and frankly, Kanan was no Jedi. Not to be mean, but, seriously.

Seriously.

Anakin and Ahsoka spun about, their sabers glancing off each other in a shower of sparks. Lights danced between them as they waltzed around the room. It looked like they were playing, testing each other's boundaries. If it weren't for the matching grins on their faces, Zeb would have sworn they were trying to kill each other. If it weren't for Kanan, he wouldn't have known about Jedi. Sure the Force mumbo jumbo was interesting and weird but it wasn't a threat. It wasn't something he would have been afraid of. Sure floating objects were cool and meditating sounded like something he could be tricked into doing. 

"This is amazing." Erza mouthed. "Are you seeing this?" 

Zeb grunted when he felt a point elbow smash into his ribs. "Yeah." 

Anakin force pushed Ahsoka back before leaping after her. She got his lightsaber in a cross lock, grunting against his strength and weight. "Growing slow, Master?" 

"Not one bit." Anakin kicked her in the stomach, freeing his lightsaber, sliding it down and with a twitch of his wrist, knocking Ahsoka's shoto out of her hand and into the air. He caught it with his free hand. 

"Now I am the Master." 

"Hey, that's my line!" Ahsoka said with a smirk. She rotated her wrist letting her lightsaber spin in a lazy circle. They stared at each other mindful of the audience that they'd drawn. Kanan and Hera were on the other side of the room. Kanan's face looked as if he saw something particular painful. 

Anakin darted forward, attacking with both sabers. Ahsoka danced back, giving ground to each strike but she dodged each strike and parried those she could not step around. She let Anakin's attack flow through, grounding his energy into the floor. One second she was a swaying figure that seemed impossible to strike at, and the next she was on the offensive. She struck quickly, her blade a trail of light in the dim hanger. Yet it would seem it was for naught. Anakin tossed her shoto out in a force throw, forcing her attention away from him to her shoto hilt. He used her brief break of focus to grab her wrist and toss her onto the floor. Her other lightsaber clattered to the ground. His blue blade hummed a few inches away from her throat. 

"I yield." 

A scatter of applause reigned as the two dueling combatants bowed to each other.

Zeb whistled. "Damn. I really can't take him." 

Erza's admiration was clear in his eyes, as was his desires. "Think he'll teach me?" 

* * *

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff. Kanan. Hera. Hm.

"I want you to train me." 

Anakin looked up from his work, both eyebrows raised. "What?"   
  
It was that kid, the blue haired one, Kanan's padawan. Not too shabby but too old for conventional training. But it wasn't as if there any choice here, with the Order gone, they had to start somewhere. Even if the kid had a really strange lightsaber that kind of looked like he welded a blaster to it. Which it probably was. 

"I said, I want you to train me how to fight like a Jedi." 

This time he put his tools down and stepped around his star fighter. "Arn't you already Kanan's responsibility? I don't poach." Especially someone who wasn't as skilled Ahsoka.

"Well, yes but-" Erza stared at Anakin intensely with a hunger that was somewhat familiar. "I want to fight like you. I want you to teach me."

 

"Uh..." Anakin rubbed the back of his head. "It'll take a few years. And-" He didn't plan on staying that long.

"You should ask your training master first." Kanan cleared his throat. "Erza."

"Kanan. Hey." 

"Master Skywalker." 

"Hi." Anakin was pretty sure his eyebrows were going to vanish past his hairline. "I should go."

 Once Anakin left the hanger, Kanan focused on Erza. He noted the boy's expression and let the sharpness in his features drop. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing." 

"Are you certain?" 

"How come you can't fight like Fulcrum? Or him? What happened?" 

"Life." Kanan knelt down. "If you do want to learn the other Forms from Master Skywalker, I have no issues Just remember to tell me first."

* * *

 

"Should I let Erza go?" 

"Kanan?" Hera rolled over and sat up, looking up at Kanan sleepily. 

"I won't be able to teach him everything, I'm only-my master-I-" He paced in their room, hands tight against his sides. "This is his chance to be taught by a master! Do you remember Anakin Skywalker? He was the Hero With No Fear. When he died-I-" Kanan shook his head. "Erza would do better with a real Jedi." 

"Kanan." Hera said sharply as she got up and went over to his side. "Look at me." 

Kanan looked at Hera. 

"Remember when you went to save Master Unduli? You wanted to give him to a better master. But he wanted to stay with you. You are his master." Hera lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "You are a fine Jedi, I have you know. You're kind and you're fierce. Where was Master Skywalker when the Empire rose into being? That's the question you should be asking yourself." 

"Fulcrum trusts him." 

"Do you?" 

Kanan licked his lower lip, his eyes cast down. "I don't know. He's the real deal. I can sense his force presence. Fulcrum hasn't said anything about how he came here and I'm not sure if she'll ever say. You saw him fight didn't you? It brings back a lot of memories, of how things used to be...of what I used to be capable of."   
  
Hera gently pulled Kanan into a hug. "You are perfectly fine the way you are. Don't forget that." 

He laughed gently and quickly stole a small kiss. "How can I with you to remind me?" 

* * *

 

Ahsoka sat before the holoprojector, a small smile on her face as she chatted with Bail. It was always a pleasure to speak to him even if it were about an unpleasant topic. 

"You are saying that Anakin Skywalker has returned from the dead?" 

"No. From what he explained, he must have time traveled using the hyperdrive. He doesn't know anything past that point in time.  It must be something unique to his starfighter and to the event. He's trying to recreate it so he could go home and stop all of this from happening." 

"Returning him to his point in time...is that even possible? Is what he is doing even probable?" 

"It's him. I know it. I can _feel_ it. As to what that means I do not know. Anakin has always...." She furrowed her brow in thought. _Mortis._ "His presence here might not mean anything. He's but one more Jedi. We cannot topple an Empire by ourselves. We need to find a weakness and a way to rally the other planets into rejecting the Empire. There isn't anything we can do."

"Yes I know. What do you plan on doing?" 

"Getting him home. Giving him the tools required to stop the fall of the Republic. If it works, then the future we know won't exist. Or, his future will change and ours will remain the same. Time is tricky. I've thought about what may come and I...I am not qualified. I may need to speak to the Others." 

"Will you be safe?" 

"Yes. I suspect the Emperor is not too invested in hunting Jedi. We're not a threat to him. It plays in our favor. Better he thinks we're vagabonds and drifters than organized." 

Bail nodded. He looked old and tired a far cry from the man he used to be all those years ago. "Do you trust him?" 

Ahsoka froze, lips parted, before responding. "I trust the man I remember. He's still the best Jedi I've ever known."

* * *

 Anakin found Ahsoka on her freighter. Or rather, a borrowed freighter. There was no way his former padawan was going to ride in a ship that deserved to be junked. Give him a few days and a scrap yard and he'll make it into something worthy. 

"Ahsoka." He walked up the ramp, looking around for the older Jedi. 

"Anakin." She glanced up from the pilot's seat.   


He slid into the seat next to her. Fifteen years have gone past and nothing has changed. If anything, some things have gotten clunkier. "How are you?" 

"What?"   
  
"I never asked you how you were doing. Sure this may be a shock for me but I just realized that this entire situation is weirder for you. I was thinking to myself how I would have reacted if you had died and suddenly came back a decade later."

Ahsoka blinked a few times in surprise. "Well..." She rested her hands in her lap. "Shocked. Happy. Surprised." She smiled at Anakin. "You do realize that I'm a fully grown, right? I've lived through things that I thought I'd never survive. I'm rather jaded despite my appearance. I'm actually handling this a lot better than I thought I was." 

_Are you? You keep calling him Master even as time has passed and he is no longer your Master._

"I've been training and I've realized a few things about myself. I had to grow up fast in the war and you were there to guide me. You, Master Kenobi, Padme...I'm proud that you were my Master. If it weren't for Master Yoda, I probably would have remained a padawan in the temple. For that, I'm grateful for the training you provided and the guidance." 

Anakin tried very hard not to cry at this point. His little padawan was all grown up and helping lead a rebellion against an Empire. 

"Thank you, Master." 

"......." Anakin rubbed his gloved hand against his face. "I'm not crying, there's just dirt in my eye." 

"There must be some in mine as well." 

Anakin cleared his throat. "I think I know what to do. Or rather, who to ask." 

"You do?" 

"I think I found Master Kenobi." 

* * *

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "And if there’s a reason I’m still alive when everyone who loves me has died, I’m willing to wait for it."
> 
> Obi-Wan Kenobi (via incorrectstarwarsquotes) Tumblr

Obi-Wan Kenobi, former Jedi Master, has long accepted his part in the galaxy. What could he do but welcome the heat, the sun, and the sand. 

Force. There was so much sand. It gets into everything no matter how much he tries. And he has tried very hard. 

A time ago he was an active agent against the Empire. He had saved fellow Jedi. But his time was over. The Force had compelled him to return to Tatooine. Anakin's son had grown since he first gave him to Owen for safe keeping. He had wished to see Anakin's daughter but that would far too risky. The eyes of the Empire were always focused inward. He wouldn't risk Bail to satisfy his own desires.

Now he was being something he'd never thought he'd be, a farmer. Years ago, he almost was assigned to be a farmer. Perhaps the Force was getting one last laugh. 

Sometimes he sits outside when the suns wane, watching the horizon as the skies darken and the stars come out. He thinks about, well, everything. Every decision he'd made for his entire life wondering when he was influenced by the dark side, when Palpatine gently nudged a thought or when he left his young padawan in the old man's care. When did it happen? When did his young apprentice become enshrouded by the dark side? It was not an easy apprenticeship. Despite how powerful Anakin had grown over the years he still had emotional issues and was not yet mature enough despite the responsibilities given to him. Yet, he trusted him because how could he not? He had practically raised the young man.

Perhaps the fault did not lie in him as he kept reminding himself. A Sith Lord has ruled right under their noses for years cleverly outmaneuvering the Council. He had looked the man in the face and saw nothing. Sidious was most likely one of the strongest Sith Lords the Jedi Order has ever faced. If a learned Jedi Grandmaster couldn't see the darkness before him, then a young knight wouldn't be able to either Chosen One or not. 

On one of his long meditative nights, he spotted a speeder coming his way, an oddity for sure. Not many knew he existed or where he lived. Was it Luke? The boy had grown increasingly curious about becoming a fighter pilot. There is so much of his father in him and his mother. He had Anakin's excitement on machines and flying and his mother's temperament. He would have made a fine Jedi. 

But that was then and this is now. 

He had to watch over Luke and to make sure that Vader never knows of his existence. It was lonely and all he had were his thoughts. Sometimes Qui-Gon visits him in his dreams. It's rather odd to talk to a dream version of your old dead master especially when he seemed so real and so alive. But then Obi-Wan wakes up and realizes that it is just a dream. It did made him feel better so it wasn't a total loss. 

He pulled his hood back and stood up as the speeder neared his hovel. 

There were two of them but he couldn't see who it was. Carefully, he reached out into the Force. The two on the speeder were definitely force sensitive but their presence was muted. They were actively hiding it. Could it be two survivors from the Purge? But why would they come here? How did they even find him? The Jedi were hiding and waiting until the right opportunity presented itself. 

Obi-Wan mindfully placed his hand on his lightsaber watching as the speeder approached. 

He waited for them to park still projecting that old man disguise he had perfected over the years. A tiny hunch in his back, a dim look in his eyes, and his unkempt appearance to tie the entire look together. He was not dangerous but an elderly crazy hermit who lived in the bad parts of the planet. Which was everywhere else. The Tusken Raiders knew to leave him alone and it helped he had a friend on the inside.

The woman disembarked first, pulling her hood back to reve- "Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan dropped his hand from his saber and stepped forward, his breath caught in his throat. 

"Master Kenobi." She finished the steps and pulled him into a hug, nearly squishing him. 

"You've gotten much taller." Obi-Wan muttered against her leeku. 

"I know. Everyone keeps saying that." Ahsoka said in a teasing tone, stepping back. "I'm surprised to find you here." 

"Well that was the point." He responded, smiling before he frowned. "How did you find me?" 

"I had...help." Ahsoka paused, her lips pressed tight and thin. "I need you to trust me." 

"Of course I trust you." Obi-Wan began as his gaze drifted from Ahsoka to over her shoulder, to where the other figure. Taller than Ahsoka, his face enshrouded in his cloak, there was something strangely and disturbingly familiar about the way the man walked over. His hood slid down revealing a ghost; a tall human male with piercing blue eyes and a scar on his brow.

A jolt ran through him as he realized that was no ghost. He drew his lightsaber hilt and with a _snap-hiss_ turned it on. The blue blade illuminated the area, even as he brought it up in a guard position. "Vader. The Empire must be applauded for their work. They got you out of that dreadful suit and a top notch cosmetic surgeon. I must say I am impressed. It only took them fifteen years." 

Vader looked confused. "Are you sassing me Obi-Wan?" He asked, exasperated. He hadn't even drawn his blade. 

Now Obi-Wan was confused. "What is going on here." He asked firmly, not taking his eyes off Vader. 

Ahsoka interposed herself between them. "You might want to sit down for this." She said gently. 

He looks between them, the former padawan who became a Sith and the lost Jedi who had left them forever. Could Ahsoka been turned? How else could that explain why she was with Vader? But how did Vader find him? What was going on? Once more he looked into the Force. He felt no deception nor danger. Instead there was a feeling of reassurance.

"Very well." He turned his lightsaber off and clipped it to his belt. "Come inside." 

* * *

Anakin dutifully followed after Ahsoka looking around at where Obi-Wan had been living. It was a dump. 

They sat, facing each other, their knees almost touching, that was how small the place was. When before this would have been comforting, all he could feel from Obi-Wan was apprehension. He looked at Ahsoka with worry. She had this pained expression on her face that was far too old for her youthful face. Speaking of youth, what happened to Obi-Wan? He looked like he was in seventies going on ninety. From what he remembered Obi-Wan was in his forties during the war. 

"Let me guess, you're a clone?" Obi-Wan started, arms crossed on his chest. "And you rescued him from some Imperial facility?" 

Anakin raised both eyebrows. This was not how he remembered Obi-Wan. The sass was familiar but the frail old man was not.

"No." Ahsoka licked her lower lip. She looked at the floor and then to Obi-Wan. "Master...Do you remember Mortis?" 

"Yes. It was an entirely unpleasant place." 

"Well, it's kind of like that. Trust me when I say that this is Anakin Skywalker before-." Ahsoka paused. "Before the Fall." 

Obi-Wan didn't look at all convinced.

"Obi-Wan it's me." Now that got a reaction. "You know me."

"Do I?" Obi-Wan had the saddest fucking look on his face that nearly made Anakin leap out of his chair and bear hug the man. 

"Yes." He said past stinging eyes. "You do. I may have been a shitty padawan but you always believed in me. I am the Chosen One meant to bring balance to the force. You are my brother Obi-Wan; I love you." 

Abruptly Obi-Wan stood and left. "Stay here. I'll go talk to him." Ahsoka stood placing her hand on his shoulder. "Please." She added when he tried to object.

Ahsoka left as well leaving a flabbergasted and hurt young man sitting by himself in a hut on a planet that he hated.

The symbolism could be felt; the past and future had left leaving him only the present. 

* * *

Obi-Wan walked for what felt like an age before he stopped. Memories of Mustafar came back rearing its ugly head in the forefront of his mind. Hearing his words in Anakin's mouth thrown at him by a ghost of the past he wasn't sure what to think. The man sitting in his home was not one marred by fire. There was no dark side influence hanging over him like some ugly shroud. He had dreamed of Vader finding him and of their fight. 

But nothing like this. 

His past and his future had came back to haunt him. But they were not apparitions. Ahsoka Tano had become a Knight in her own right. Anakin Skywalker was still the same as he had been in the far distant past when the Jedi were peacekeepers. It had hurt to see him again. The man who he had once regarded as his brother was trapped in a suit because of him. He should have killed him on Mustafar. He should have done him right as a Jedi and not as a grieving brother. 

Like always Obi-Wan looked to the Force. 

The answer that came back was relief and pain all bundled up so tightly knotted together he could not pull it apart. 

It was _him._

* * *

 

Ahsoka found Obi-Wan a few yards away, staring at the stars. "It's him. But it can't be him." He was muttering to himself.

"Master Kenobi?" 

Obi-Wan turned around, his head resting on his fist. "How?" 

"Time travel. Hyperdrive. Anakin being Anakin." Ahsoka said weakly. "You believe him?" 

"Yes. I do. It's far too ridiculous of a trick for the Empire to try." A small smile graced his face. "And you, my young friend, are too smart to fall for such a ruse." 

"Am I?" 

"You are." Obi-Wan sighed. "I am far too old for this." 

"You can rest your old bones here, Master." Ahsoka said jokingly. "But we do need your help. Do you remember a certain set of codes." 

"Codes?" 

"Yes." 

"What sort of codes?" 

Ahsoka made a motion with her hands. "Well, the kind of codes that only a Master of the High Council would posses." 

"Why would you need that?" 

"Would you believe me if I said that this is one of Anakin's crazy ideas?" 

"Yes."

"Uuuh...." Ahsoka sucked in a breath. "The thing is we need parts for an outdated model that is no longer made. The only place that may have them is-" 

"The Imperial Palace." Obi-Wan hissed. "Far too dangerous. You'll get yourself killed. I forbid it." 

Whatever rebuttal Ahsoka had was silenced by a new voice, a younger voice. "Uncle Ben?" 

* * *

 

Left in the hut, Anakin began to mediate. Or rather he tried. However inner peace was proving to be a difficult thing to achieve and maintain. The quiet and peace merely made everything else loud. He could hear the servos in his hand move as he flexed his hand. 

He heard the approach first and he also felt a force presence. It was untamed and untrained. Yet it shone brightly in the force. Such untapped potential.

"Uncle Ben?" 

Anakin stood as a young man entered the hut. It was a boy around fifteen years old with blonde hair and hauntingly familiar eyes. He was so small and thin waspishly so. "Who are you?" He asked, looking around. "Where's Uncle Ben?" 

Ben? "You mean Obi-Wan?" 

"Uh, crazy hermit guy?" 

Anakin stared back his mind working furiously. Obi-Wan must be under disguise in order to hide. "Ben. Yes. Who are you?" 

"I'm Lu-" Obi-Wan walked in and spoke. "Luke! "

The young man was startled by the sudden and sharp word. "Uh, yeah that's my name. Don't wear it out." He grinned at Ben and then gaped at Ahsoka. "Woah. Who are you guys?"   
  
Thinking quickly, Anakin answered. "We're pilots for a starship. We knew Ben from before." 

"Oh wow. You're a pilot?" 

"Yes." 

The boy's eyes widened. "Wizard." 

"Do you fly?" 

"I want to. I'm going to be a pilot like my father." The boy's shoulders sagged. "But there's nothing to fly here except the T-16 Skyhopper and my land speeder. I'm too young to go to the Imperial Academy." 

Anakin felt his hackles rise at the word. "Luke." He saw the boy's eyes met his. "Don't go there. There are better places to learn how to fly. Have you tried podracing?"

"That's illegal." Said the boy with the air of having listened to many a lecture. Luke stared at his lightsaber before looking at his face. "What's your name?" 

"An-" He paused. "Skyguy. And that's Snips." He jerked a thumb at Ahsoka. 

"That's not your real names is it?" The boy said suspiciously. "Ben! I wanted to tell you something!" 

"You should go home young man I'm sure your parents are worried about you." Ben said softly. "I will talk to you tomorrow." 

"But it's important. I had a dream. "

"A dream?" 

"Yeah. There was this guy and he...I don't know. He just seemed important. And then there was this girl who was my age. She was so pretty! But also sad. You said to tell you if I had any strange dreams. But that's it and I'll go now! Bye!" Luke ran out and onto his land speeder. 

"Who is that kid?" Anakin asked once the boy was gone. "He's force sensitive." 

"He's a son of a Jedi that I promised to look after." 

"He's in good hands then." Anakin watched the land speeder long after it became nothing but a dot on the horizon. "Did I know the father?" He wonders on his own unborn child. The grief is sharp still. In time it will pass and in time, it will not come to pass. He will save them. All of them.

Again there was that sorrow in Obi-Wan's eyes that made him look far older than he was. "Yes. A long time ago. I almost forgot what he looked like."

"Is he dead?" 

"Yes."

Anakin bowed his head in quiet remembrance. "There is no Death, there is only the Force." He whispered knowing without looking that the other Jedi were doing the same. 

* * *

 

_"Go. I will be right behind you!"_

_Ahsoka faltered even as her twin blades deflected blaster bolts. They were surrounded. The air was thick with blasterbolts and the corpses of men strewn about. They had fought their way to the hanger where a shuttle was waiting for them._

_He was lying to her. She could feel it. He wasn't going to follow her. She won't leave him. No. She wasn't his padawan anymore. She didn't have to listen to him. She will stay and fight with him._

_She was unprepared for the force push and felt herself launched into the air where the shuttle hovered. Thinking quickly she twisted her body and grabbed the lip before pulling herself in._

_From the ramp of the stolen shuttle she could see her master's blazing blue blade as he fought off the storm troopers and then that horrifying coldness seeped in, and she knew in her heart, that she won't see her master again. A tall dark figure advanced his red lightsaber a brilliant blade in the darkness. Her master pivoted on his feet and faced him._

_Red and blue blurred as the two fought. It was very quick. They were tired from fighting their way up several levels. She knew that Anakin was exhausted. It was a tactic that the Empire used, overwhelming fire power. Eventually the Jedi will tire and slow and die._

_She saw him fall, the red lightsaber buried in his chest. There would be no funeral pyre. No prayers. He fell slowly to his knees a hand to his chest. Ahsoka could see Vader lift his sword arm and slash downward._

_"No!"_

_Where the blade would have gone through his neck was only empty air. Anakin had vanished, leaving behind a pile of clothing on the floor._

Ahsoka woke up with a jolt, her body slick with sweat and she could feel her heart thundering out of her chest. Was it a vision? A dream? 

"Soka?" Anakin was curled up next to her in the co-pilot's seat. He opened his eyes blearily at her. "You okay?" 

She resisted the urge to touch him, to assure herself that he was still there. "Yes. I had a bad dream." 

"Hm." He mumbled closing his eyes. "I'll chase the nightmares away." 

"I know you will, Master." She waited for him to fall back asleep before resting against the pilot's chair. This was madness. But it was so crazy it might work. 

 Go to the Jedi Temple (Imperial Palace). Steal the parts. Repair Anakin's ship and recreate the events. Send him home. 

Audacious. Reckless the Council would say. Dangerous Obi-Wan had cautioned. But it might work.

Ahsoka regarded the man sleeping haphazardly in the co-pilot's chair. She closed her eyes and slipped into a meditative trance. It was only a dream. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's that guy again. What's his name? Vader?

Let's start off with a few truths. 

Anakin Skywalker is a Jedi. There was no doubt in his mind nor in anyone else. Even when he turned, it wasn't that he went to the dark side, it was that everyone else betrayed him. The Jedi betrayed him and because of that his wife died. The Republic failed his student and she is banished from the Jedi Order. Obi-Wan betrayed him so fully there were no words only hatred. 

Obi-Wan had such faith in him more so than anyone else on the Jedi Council. 

(Except for Palpatine and that is a whole other story.)

Then there is Vader and he is not a Jedi. He has no official position within the Empire and he is, in many ways, nothing but a flawed tool to Sidious. He knows it. Tarkin knows it. No one has any faith in him. There is only fear and that is all Vader needs. Fear and power. 

So when he says, Anakin Skywalker's apprentice lives, he meant it. There is nothing left of the Jedi in Vader. He has nothing left to tie him to his past. His wife is dead. His apprentice is gone. The life he had built up has been destroyed by his own hand. There was no turning back. There was to be no forgiveness. There was nothing left for Anakin Skywalker. There was no where to run and no where to hide. There was only one path before him. 

How could a man dedicated to protecting innocents kill children?

(Palaptine just had greater faith in Vader.)

* * *

Obi-Wan stepped into the cockpit and smiled at the sight before him. Anakin had fallen asleep, his legs propped against the console, arms across his chest as if he were hugging himself. Ahsoka was similarly asleep, mirroring her former master. The only difference of the two was the brown cloak that was drapped over Ahsoka's lanky frame. Obi-Wan rubbed his chin with his hand to hid his smile and took a seat behind them. 

The Force had told him that his place was with them. While he had watched over Luke for many years, the boy was safe for now. And if this works, if they could end all of this before it starts, then he wouldn't have needed to watch over Luke. There would be no Empire, no Vader and no dead Jedi. He could see it in his mind's eye, Anakin resting from a long mission while Ahsoka was teaching her own padawan. He could almost see it, a small girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She would trail behind Ahsoka like a small shadow. Behind his own would be a young boy with sandy hair and blue eyes, like Luke. 

Obi-Wan shook himself from his reverie. 

He watched Anakin slumber for some time. The silence and peace of space was it's own trap. It let him think and wonder and dream. Meditation was much easier to accomplish and rested his weary mind for little while.

Anakin twitched slightly a small moan escaping his lips.

"Anakin?" Obi-Wan reached out to grip his shoulder. 

"No. No." Anakin's voice petered out as he twisted in his sleep. 

"It's just a dream." Obi-Wan said reassuringly, "Anakin. Wake up."

Despite his nudging, the sleeping Jedi didn't move. It must be one of his nightmares. Usually he could be nudged out of sleep and into wakefulness but Obi-Wan was not too sure he could do that. The bond they had between them was gone. Would he even be allowed in his mind?

"Not the younglings." The sheer pain in his voice cut through his indecision and Obi-Wan sprang into action. He seeped into Anakin's mind, using his vulnerable state to slip through the young man's shields. To his surprise, he found their bond, which wasn't their bond. The other end lead to somewhere else, someone else. But he was familiar enough, the same presence in fact, to be allowed to tap into it. He followed the force bond to the other side to where he knew his former padawan would be.

The first thing he noticed was the darkness. Anakin's mind was in shadow. A thick inky fog that swirled around his ankles and hands. It was cold. Very cold. It was also desolate. There was nothing here. Curious. 

"Anakin?"

There is a noise, a loud familiar sound like a sandstorm shrieking over the hills. And another sound, one that he could not forget. 

_Kooh-hiiss_

_Kooh-hiss_

Obi-Wan felt his mind self's chest tighten. Vader wasn't here. This was Anakin's mind. Focus. Banish your own misgivings and fears into the Force.

**Focus.**

The sound of mechanized breathing went away. Obi-Wan wandered for what seems to be an age before he finds the source of the sound. A light shined in the distance and it drove the darkness away. In that beacon, there was a huddled being, small in shape. 

"Anakin?" 

It was a hauntingly familiar young boy with sandy hair and big blue eyes. Obi-Wan knelt on the sand, reaching out with his hand. "Ani?" 

The nine year old boy looked up at him with huge watery eyes. "Obi-Wan?" There was much fear in those eyes. 

"What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked gently. 

 "He killed the younglings." 

"Who?" 

"The dark man." The boy hugged himself harder. 

Vader thought Obi-Wan. Why how? Anakin hasn't yet turned. He shoul-

"Obi-Wan! " Anakin glanced around at the darkness that threatened to overcome the light. "You have to go. He's coming." 

"Whose coming? What's going on?" 

"Can't you feel it?" The boy whispered. "Go. He's going to find you. You have to leave. Now."

And then he was back, in his own body, his hand resting on Anakin's shoulder. The younger Jedi was still asleep still but more peacefully as if the nightmare had came to past. 

What in the Force was that? Perhaps it was time to contact Master Yoda. 

* * *

Anakin rolled his arm as he waited for Ahsoka to meet her contact. This was boring. Wasn't spy work supposed to be full of adventures and explosions? Not this waiting around with more waiting added to it. It was boring. He should have waited with Obi-Wan on the ship. Then he could at least play a few games or practice some katas. 

He glanced around the space station they were docked at, eyeing the few storm troopers. Before they were even allowed onto the station they had to pay a few fees, make sure their registration was in order, etc. Then, Ahsoka had him change out of his clothes, using the space station as some sort of bribe. His lightsaber was now tucked away and his face was hidden by a breathing mask. He wore a mechanic's clothes but kept the boots. It's hard to find boots his size.  Obi-Wan wasn't even allowed out, him being person non grata and old. Not that he'd say that to his face. 

Anyways, so here he was, watching the news and being utterly bored out of his skull. 

It would seem that nothing has changed. Nothing at all. It was disheartening. His Jedi brother and sisters are dead and no one cares. There is no memorial for the clones who died during the war. There was nothing to remind people of the sacrifices that were made. 

As he mulled over his thoughts, a news bulletin popped up. 

"Senator Amidala's Remembrance Day will begin in a few hours on Naboo in the capital. We will be covering this annual ceremony with a speech from the Queen of Naboo." 

There was something else but Anakin didn't really hear it. He bolted to his feet and began walking towards the nearest hanger. Ahsoka and Obi-Wan should be fine without him. He just had to go to Naboo. He had to go see her. 

He _needed_ to go see her. 

Anakin bought himself passage on a freighter to Naboo and sent a message before they hit hyperspace. 

_To Snips,_

_Going to Naboo, will be back, I bought Ben lunch._

_With love,_

_Skyguy_

_P.S. I have no money. Spent it on ticket._

When Ahsoka received the message, she nearly hit the roof. 

 

* * *

 

By the time they got there and he payed them, the ceremony was long over. That was fine with him. 

Bypassing the guards was easy and even with his force presence cloaked, they were no match for him. Anakin stopped in the gardens, to pay homage to the man whose headstone rested there. "Hello Master Qui-Gon." He said quietly, his hand against the weathered stone. "I know I haven't been here for a long time, I'm not even the person who you'd like to see the most. If you're waiting for Obi-Wan, you'll have to wait a bit longer. It's a dangerous galaxy out there. I'm sorry I didn't bring any stones with me or flowers." 

He looked around at the peaceful garden and at the tree they had planted. It was flowering, white petals drifting slowly in the breeze. From what Obi-Wan told him of Qui-Gon Jinn, he would have liked it. 

After paying his respects, he ventured deeper into the palace. 

He found her final resting place, a glass stained effigy along the wall and the flowers that were for her. It was deathly quiet in the mausoleum. Anakin approached, one foot after the next, until he stopped before the stone sarcophagus. 

His mouth was dry. But his eyes were wet and stinging. 

Anakin placed his flesh and blood hand on the sarcophagus. "Hello my angel." He said softly. "You know, I thought Ahsoka was lying to me about you dying. I thought you would had faked your death and gone into hiding and continued to fight against the Empire. I was waiting for you, hoping that you'd catch wind of me and reveal yourself." 

He took a deep shuddering breath. "But you're here. You're dead. You and our  baby." 

If he had a choice, he would lie there and grieve. But he can't. Not with the Empire still around. Not with the deaths of the other Jedi unanswered for. 

Besides, Padme wouldn't have appreciated that. If he died, she would have continued on and kept on fighting. 

"I love you." He said to the silence. "I always will." 

 A sense of peace settled in his soul that calmed the raging dragon inside him. It was the dragon that haunted his dreams and his waking thoughts. It whispered in his mind that everything he loved will die. Even the stars. The dragon was silent now. He finally understood what Obi-Wan meant about attachment. He was letting her go. He was letting them go. He was ready now. 

"Sir?" A voice, feminine, pipped up from the doorway. Anakin turned slowly and cast his gaze upon a young girl. She looked to be in her teens. She had brown hair and brown eyes and a face far too severe for her age. 

"The mausoleum is closed." She began crossly, quite ready to scold the older male. 

"My apologies." He bowed slightly. "I was late and I just needed to see her." 

"Did you know her before?" The girl asked before blushing. "Oh, do forgive my manners. I'm Leia Organa." 

"A-" Anakin swallowed his words before they could come out, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Are you related to Senator Organa?" 

"Yes, he's my father. Did you know him too?" Leia asked curiously. 

"A little. I met him a few times." He felt awkward talking to this child and it confused him to no end. 

"My father is the reason why I'm here. Padme Amidala was a friend of his but no one really talks about the old Republic. Most of that history is sealed or destroyed." Leia sighed softly. "She used to be a queen and she was younger than I was. Then she became a Senator." 

"Yeah." Anakin agreed with the same soft noise. "She was amazing." 

"I want to be just like her. I'm going to become a Senator and I'm going to change things. I'm going to make them better." Leia said resolutely. 

 _See Padme? You continue to inspire hope._  Anakin thought proudly. 

He felt it first in the Force, a great power descending onto the planet, like some angry storm. Anakin tightened his shields immediately. He knows this presence, he felt it before, in the Clone Wars. A Sith. Here. As much as he wants to engage the Sith and put it six feet under, he can't. Not without revealing himself and ruining whatever plans they had. 

It was approaching them at great speed, most likely the ship docked in the hanger bay of the palace. They would have minutes to hide. He wasn't going to expose a child to the Sith. "What is that?" Leia whispered. "I feel cold." 

Anakin regarded Leia quietly. Was she force sensitive? Even by standing next to her he couldn't feel it. It wasn't that she had no presence but that it was hidden. Someone had taught Leia an important lesson. He reached out with his hand. "Come with me." 

She regarded his hand before taking it and he found a small dark place in the mausoleum to hide. He backs up against the wall and tucks her close to him, subconsciously pulling on her thoughts and aligning her breathing with his. He controls their breathing and muted their presence in the Force until only the wind could be heard, and the dark corners housed only shadows. Ahsoka managed to teach him a trick or two about hiding in plain sight. Anakin was quite proud of his former padawan. 

_Kooh-hiiss_

Anakin could feel the Sith as it rounded the corner and stepped inside the mausoleum. It was a tall man in armor, jet black, his force signature distinct to the point of pain. All he could feel was anger. Hate. And despair. 

He stepped forward and placed his hand on the sarcophagus. "Padme." 

Like a switch getting pulled grief spilled outward like water from a dam. It filled the room and threatened to drown Anakin in the weight and heaviness. The dark side filled the room seeping into every corner and niche. Anakin was very busy in pretending to be part of the wall. 

The man, who doesn't seem to be a man, bent his head. The man seemed to be more like a machine. From what he could see from where he was crouched at, there appears to mechanisms for life support on the front of his chest. There was a mask and what appeared to be a helmet. The mechanical wheeze of his breathing seemed to indicate that he was in a full body suit. Which doesn't make sense. If someone was injured to the point of being hooked up to a life support, you would think they would treat the injury. A Sith would surely have access to bacta and the best surgeons possible. 

_Ah, but the Sith work in twos. A master and an apprentice. Would it not benefit the master to have an apprentice that could not strike against him?_

Anakin frowned at the thought. 

Who is this guy mourning over his dead wife? 

Then Leia sneezes and the Sith activates his lightsaber with a _snap-hiss_ and the red blade illuminates the dark room. 

Ah. Shit. Anakin placed his hand on his lightsaber, ready to defend himself and Leia when the girl rips herself out of his grip and stumbles into the light. _Trust me_ her force presence seems to say. He holds back from leaping to her defense. 

"Child." The Sith said with a wheezing hiss. "What are you doing here?" 

"I-I wanted to see Senator Amidala. I got here too late." 

He studied her briefly before disengaging his blade and returning the hilt to his belt. 

"Did you know her?" Asked the suicidal child. 

The Sith stared at the window panes that depicted an effigy of the dead woman. "A long time ago. But she was taken from me." 

Anakin scowled. Yeah. She's my wife. Asshole. 

"Do you miss her?" 

"....................." The Sith turned on his heel. "You should return to your parents." 

It was only after the monstrous force storm left before Anakin stepped into the light. "Are you crazy?" He demanded to the tiny suicidal child. "He's a Si-" He bit down on his tongue. "He's dangerous." 

"I know." Leia dusted her dress. "But he seemed so sad. And so lonely." 

Anakin had to really bite down on his tongue. The last thing he needed to do was curse in front of a child. Instead he released his frustrations into the force. "Every heard of, you sow what you reap?" 

"Yes." 

"Sometimes people make terrible decisions and they have to pay the price." Any sympathy Anakin may had have about being stuck in a suit was gone when the Sith was mourning his dead wife. 

"They can't redeem themselves?" 

"No. There is no redemption. There is only the choices we make and how we are bound by them." 

"You don't believe in forgiveness?" 

Anakin stared at the effigy. He wanted to grow old with his wife and raise his child with her. "Some crimes are unforgivable."

The Sith took everything from him. His love, his life, and his future. He would make him pay.

* * *

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A cameo! Or several?!

"Hey, sorry abo-" Which was about as far as Anakin got before Ahsoka grabbed him into a bear hug that quickly morphed into a choke hold.

Anakin flailed while Obi-Wan watched from the sidelines.

"Don't do that again!' Ahsoka seethed between clenched teeth as she restrained herself from throttling her master. "Dummy. I can't risk losing you too."

Anakin made a gurgling response.

Ahsoka released her master and stomped off, throwing her hands in the air.

Obi-Wan shook his head at the departing Jedi and walked over over to his friend. "How was your trip?"

"I got to see her again." Anakin watched his former padawan walk away a wry smile on his face," I also saw the Sith."

Obi-Wan froze. "The Sith?"

"Yeah." 

"Did...did he see you?"

"No." Anakin shook his head.

"Good. Good..." Obi-Wan looked relieved. "There's someone we have to talk to. We're going to Dagobah."

"What's there?"

"An old friend." 

 // \\\

The trip to the Dagobah system was rather long and somewhat tense. Ahsoka looked to still be pissed off and while they may be grown adults, time has put a distance between them. Where once he could draw out a smile out of his padawan, now there is this chasm that threatens to grow every day. It wasn't any fault of his or hers, it was simply how it was. The person he was bantering with today was not the same as the person from a few nights ago. But he tries to bridge the gap because in the end, she is all he has left. Her and Obi-Wan and he would be damned if he let either one of them go. 

Anakin settled in the co-pilot's seat. "I'm really sorry about leaving you behind." 

Ahsoka makes a short noise deep in her throat, her eyes focused on the view before them. 

"I didn't mean to worry you." Anakin tried again. 

Ahsoka turned her head to look at him a sad expression on her face. She looked to be on the verge of tears. "I know. It's just hard. Before, I didn't understand why Obi-Wan was exasperated around you. Now I get it." 

"Exasperated?" 

"Yes. Exasperated. He's always running after you and at the time, I thought it was hilarious." Ahsoka sighed. "I get it now." 

"Ahsoka?" 

"Didn't I tell you before?" Ahsoka asked with a sad smile, "One day Master, you'll go down a path I can't follow." 

Utterly perplexed by her cryptic words, Anakin was lost for words. 

//\\\  
  
Master Quinlan Vos eyed his soup suspiciously. It wasn't that he would accuse Master Yoda of poisoning them but he was not going to take a single bite. He really should have just ignored the message. The he would be home with his wife and son. He wouldn't had slogged through a  swamp and the humidity. The Kiffar Jedi placed his soup down onto a space that was not taken up, hands on his knees. 

"Master Windu, what is the reas-" He heard it first, the sounds of a space ship engine. 

"I was not aware of anyone else arriving." Master Windu said in deep baritone, his eyes sweeping to the entrance of Master Yoda's home. 

"A surprise it was to be." Said the old troll. "Greet them you should." 

Vos got to his feet, or rather his hands and knees and exited before Master Windu could say anything else. The freighter landed to the right of the bog, it's small frame allowing it to maneuver past the dense trees. Through the Force he could feel three Force signatures. They were all shrouded and difficult to pinpoint, but he knew one presence very well. 

As the ramp descended, Vos placed his hands by his belt and waited patiently. Like the old man that he was, Obi-Wan Kenobi walked down the ramp, his blue eyes lightening up as he spotted an old friend. "If it isn't the space pirate, Quinlan, it is good to see you." 

"And you." Vos bowed slightly. "You have aged. What happened?" 

"Time my friend. Time." Obi-Wan stepped onto the ground. "I did not expect you to be here. This is rather auspicious." 

A meeting place for Jedi were now very dangerous. Contact was limited and most of the time information was passed through messengers or droids. For them to be meeting at one place and with so many masters in one place, something must be occurring. But what? The dark side had blinded the Jedi for years and even now, it was very difficult to find any answers or clues from the Force. 

"Indeed." Master Plo Koon appeared behind Quinlan," Kenobi." 

"Master." Obi-Wan bobbed his head. "If I may introduce someone who would be dying to meet you." 

"Is that so?" 

"Master Plo Koon?" A familiar face appeared as a Togruta Jedi walked down the ramp, her blue eyes wide. 

"Is this little 'Soka?" The Kel Dor Jedi appeared to be flummoxed by the appearance. "You have grown quite tall." 

"That's what everyone says." She stopped by Obi-Wan's side, her hands clasped together. "Masters, I did not expect....all of you here." 

Ahsoka shot Obi-Wan a look. The older Jedi looked just as surprised. 

"Hey, Ahsoka." Another voice from the ship, male and familiar. But not in a good way. "I fixed the drive but we'll have to be careful, this clunker won't get too far. I told you we needed to get another ship." 

And a third person stepped into view, his brown hair combed to the side, the scar on his face-

Vos had his lightsaber activated and was mid leap before the rest of his brain registered who he was attacking. He already knew. His green lightsaber slashed downward and it was intercepted by a blazing blue blade. Vos stared down into blue eyes and gathered the force into his palm before thrusting outward. Vader was thrown back but he flipped and caught himself, a surprised expression on his face. 

He pressed the advantage, darting forward and slashing up. The blue lightsaber clashed with his green in a shower of sparks, catching it and once more they were in a blade lock. The younger man shoved his lighstaber down and used his own force push to send the Kiffar Jedi flying a few feet away. He hit the mud with a loud splattering noise. Vos climbed to his feet, slower than he would have liked, mud on his clothes and skin. Instead of pressing his advantage, Vader remained where he was, his lightsaber gripped loosely in his hand. 

"Vos." Master Windu stood outside of Yoda's hut, an unimpressed look on his face, arms crossed across his chest. "Enough." 

"But he's-" Vos gestured. Didn't they know? 

"I'm Anakin Skywalker. I'm not your enemy." Vader said sharply before his facial expression softened. "What's going on?" 

Vader approached looking-

He looked as if he hadn't aged a day since the Clone Wars. 

Vader knelt before the Jedi Master," Master Yoda." 

"Long it has been since I've seen you last." Master Yoda said, leaning against his stick. "Your face, almost forgot what it looked like I did." 

Everyone did. The Jedi had a masked figure chasing them, some didn't even know who the man behind it was. 

Yoda hmm'd. "Come inside, all of you. Coming soon, a storm is." 

//\\\

Anakin stared at his soup and tried to hide his grimace. It wasn't that he didn't like Master Yoda's cooking, but it looked terrible. He would rather eat bugs. Which he had. But it was best to not insult the troll. They were in far too close quarters and Vos looked like he was itching for a fight. The thought brought a frown on his youthful face. What was that? What made Vos attack him? At least Obi-Wan looked happy. Even Ahsoka was pleased. The only person who was displeased was probably Mace Windu. 

They were all seated so closely, their knees were touching and the small room was stiflingly hot. 

Master Windu was just staring at him. As a padawan he was quite terrified of the older Jedi and he never really outgrew the habit. Mace was always so stern and gruff with him. He really wasn't sure why. He knew Mace didn't trust his judgement. 

"What happened to your arm?" Anakin asked, attempting to break the tension. 

Mace scowled. "What happened to yours?" 

Anakin flushed and ducked his head. Yep, great attempt there, wise guy. 

"Explain you should how it is that you came here, young Skywalker." Yoda said finally as everyone made various attempts at eating the stew or somehow misplacing the bowls. 

And so he did. He gave his account as to what happened and Ahsoka backed him up. Then Ahsoka took over and explained their plan on getting him back. 

Three nonplussed faces looked back at the duo. 

"You can't be serious." Mace began, glowering at the lot. "Kenobi." 

Obi-Wan shrugged. "It is a good a plan as any. Anakin needs to get back to his time. Once he does so, he'll be able to stop all of this from happening." 

"That is what you hypothesize will happen." Plo Koon interjected. "This may happen despite his efforts or because of his intervention." 

"Hey." Anakin straightened up and nearly cracked his head against the low ceiling. "I'm going to stop this. I'm not going to let Order 66 happen, or for Sidious to take over the Republic." 

"And how are you going to do that?" Vos asked. "Ask nicely?" 

"No! I...I.." Anakin rubbed his face with his hand. "I haven't really thought about it. Somehow expose Palpatine as the Sith Lord?" 

"You're talking about a dangerous mission to the Temple where it'll be crawling with Imperials and you don't have any idea as to what to do when you get back? Have you thought about how you're going to even infiltrate the Temple to retrieve what you need?" Vos asked incredulously.  

"Yes. Get in, grab the ship, fly out. Shoot anything that tries to attack us." 

Vos rolled his eyes. "Another one of your brilliant plans Skywalker." 

"Hey!" 

"It is all that we have." Ahsoka said timidly. "And while it may be simplistic, perhaps that is all we need. I have a way to get us onto the planet, the rest is skill and the will of the Force." 

"How do we know that Sidious wouldn't just sense your presence on the planet? He may be waiting." Plo Koon was looking at Anakin more so than Ahsoka when he spoke. "It would be risky to lose two Jedi in this endeavor." 

"Not to mention the other Sith." Anakin said flatly, "I'd like a crack at him." 

The other Jedi exchanged looks at each other and then at Kenobi and Ahsoka. Ahsoka's eyes widened and she gestured sharply with her hand. If possible, Windu's gaze grew even more sterner. 

"Perhaps it would be best that you were avoid any Sith at all." Plo Koon said finally. "Better that your existence is not known." 

"Master Plo Koon is correct. We just need to get the parts and get out." Ahsoka glanced at her master. "It's safer that way." 

Anakin grunted. "You're right." He climbed to his feet. "I need some air." 

Once he was gone, Vos focused on Kenobi. "What is going on." He asked flatly. 

"It's him." Ahsoka looked between the other three Jedi. "It's Anakin. He's not Vader. He's not-" 

"He's not the Sith Lord?" Windu asked mildly. "The one that betrayed the Jedi and the Republic? The one who cut my hand off?" 

Ahsoka just winced. 

"No, he's not." Obi-Wan wasn't going to let them disparage his former padawan, even if they have all the right to do so. "Darth Vader had fallen to the dark side. The young man with us is not him. This is our chance to make everything better." 

"Do you trust him?" Asked Windu. 

"Yes." Obi-Wan said without a pause.

"Even after everything he's done? Everything he's capable of doing?" Again, Windu's voice was rather mild and not at all accusatory. It was quite strange. 

"He's my brother. He won't fall." 

"How do you know that? It would seem you're letting your attachments cloud your judgement." 

"Mace." Obi-Wan said flatly. " Are you blaming me for what happened?" 

"I'm merely pointing out that you're letting a memory of the past influence your judgement now." Mace glanced out the window where Anakin stood by the freighter. "None of us could have predicted what happened or how thoroughly we were betrayed." 

"Strong the Sith Lord is, stronger now." Yoda harrumphed. "But stronger still the Light is." 

"I'm going to go with him." Ahsoka said quietly. 

"It would be remiss for me to not assist." Plo Koon added. "Skywalker will need air support should everyone go as planned. The Imperials will scramble fighters to stop both of you." 

"I too shall go." Yoda pronounced. "Know the Temple better than anyone I do. Need assistance you will." 

"Is that why you always win at hide and go seek?" Mused Mace softly. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vision or a dream? Perhaps it is both. Or they're bleeding through.

This was the shittiest planet he'd ever been on. For one thing it was humid, there was swamp muck everywhere and it go into everything. His boots felt squishy, his robes were full of sweat and clung to him and not to mention, it smelled. Well, if he had to be truthful this wasn't the worst planet he'd been to. No one was dead. There was just the distinct feeling of strife and it was directed at him. He wasn't blind to it. Master Vos oozed hostility. 

From what he could remember of working with Master Vos, the other Jedi was Obi-Wan's best friend. They didn't really cross paths as their missions were in different places. 

Anakin walked through the swamp, mindful of his footing. He needed air. He couldn't sit in that cramped quarters with the others. Not with the animosity thick in the air hanging over their heads. There was something going on, something that Ahsoka was not telling him. She had those guilty looks that she always had when she was trying to hide something. 

But what was it? What could be so terrible that she could not confide in him? Her master?

He shivered as a sudden coldness struck his form. But this was an unnatural sort of coldness. Anakin let his hand drift to his lightsaber as his breath formed in the air. 

The dark side hovered over this place tightly wound into the ground and the air. Anakin halted in his step, breathing slowly and evenly.  

He could feel something in the air. Or was it a voice? Calling to him?

He felt it in his bones, in his soul- Anakin whirled and activated his lightsaber, bathing the area in a light blue. There, standing not a few yards away from him, was the Sith. A surge of protectiveness flared through his mind. The others had to be warned! 

"Who are you?" Anakin asked, holding his lightsaber out in a guard position. _Who are you to Padme? Did I know you? Did I pass by you in the temple without knowing?_

The Sith turned his lightsaber on, the red revealing much of his features. It was that tall man with the life support system. The rhythmic hiss of his respiratory machine sounded loudly in the cave. "Jedi." The voice was distorted, no doubt, also mechanized. "Why do you haunt me?"  

Anakin frowned at the Sith.

"No matter. You are just a dream. A ghost."

 The Sith dashed forward, surprisingly quick, his lightsaber a whirl or red. Anakin caught the blade, grunting in surprise at the sheer force behind it. He slid back in the mud, their blades locked. The Sith's face or rather his helmet, was as blank faced as its owner. In contrast, Anakin's face showed the physical strain he was under. He jumped back, shoving his hand forward to force push the Sith back. 

The Stih staggered back, and Anakin jumped forward. The Force sang through him. 

 

* * *

 

Darth Vader rarely dreams for he rarely sleeps. But as of late, he has been sleeping more often and dreaming. 

This was yet another dream one that was clearer than most. 

He was in a dark cave on a planet. No longer could he feel the atmosphere or the wetness of rain against his skin. His suit kept him alive but detached from the world. 

"Where am I?" He asked to no one in particular, wondering what was going to be shown to him next. What specters from his past would reappear. 

it was silent and his master's voice did not resonate in his head. There was a sense of peace and tranquility. 

For a brief moment, he enjoyed the silence. 

Then a shape appeared in the mists, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. A tall human male took form, a Jedi in clothing and weapon and force sensitive. It took a few seconds for his face to materialize and when it did, Darth Vader was struck dumb. 

Impossible. 

Yet before him stood Anakin Skywalker. He looked young and whole and a Jedi. Briefly, images began to flicker before his eyes. A Togruta girl with a smile on her face. A bearded man whose regard was all he ever wanted. Rex. Master Yoda. Padme. His life began to play before his eyes like some sick video that he couldn't stop. Memories he'd forgotten or tried to forget reared up in his mind. Everything he'd done ~~and all the reasons why didn't matter. They were dead. It was his fault.~~   He had to save them. He brought order to chaos. The Empire is safety. The Empire is peace.  

Vader's heart skipped a beat before the suit corrected the aberration. "Jedi." He said loudly, his voice echoing in the cave. "Why do you haunt me so?" 

The Jedi was dressed in typical robes, a call back to the corrupted Jedi Order. It all made sense. This was a dream and in his dreams, details were flawed and more symbolism than they were fact. This was a test. Did Sidious believe him to be weak? To have doubts? 

He flicked the switch on his lightsaber. All he had to do was kill the ghosts of his past. He will have absolution. 

"No matter. You are just a dream. A ghost."

Vader lunged forward and slashed from hip to shoulder before twisting the blade back down. His cybernetic limbs made him faster and stronger than any flesh being. His suit regulated his heart and lungs so he would not tire. He had killed many Jedi before and this would be no challenge. He pressed forward in his attack, baring down on the slightly shorter Jedi. 

He only had the slightest warning from the Force before he was thrown back. Unlike other Jedi he'd fought before, this blow slammed against his chest and sent him reeling back. Vader regained his footing just in time to counter the Jedi's attack. He shrugged off the strike, sliding his blade down and then whirling to catch his foe's unguarded side. The Jedi flipped out of the way. They exchanged blows for a few seconds mirroring each other in moves and stances. The Jedi proved to be more acrobatic, jumping and flipping as if it would give him more space. 

Vader sneered. ~~When was he ever so naive? So weak?~~ His red lightsaber caught the edge of the Jedi's tunic, singing the flesh underneath. The Jedi faltered, briefly, and it was enough for the Sith to layer on heavy blows, never faltering. The Jedi was of the flesh and weak. Each blow smashed against his counterpart's blade until it fell from numb fingers. A fierce kick sent the Jedi sprawling onto his back. 

Vader summoned the Force and gripped it tightly, clenching his fist. "Now you will die." 

His force choke gripped the young man around his neck and began to squeeze. The Jedi's body rose a foot in the air even as he valiantly tried to fight. Vader watched in an unattached manner. He was simply getting rid of one more troublesome Jedi. That was all. Soon there will be no **Jedi.** Soon all will serve Emperor Palpatine. The Rebels will be **crushed**. There would be no **rebellion**. There would only be the **Empire** and those who serve it.

So engulfed in his own thinking, he didn't sense the attack in time to stop it. He merely fell, his eyes watching the lower half of his body fall. As his upper half lied on the swampy floor, the suit whirling away in an attempt to save him, Vader thought he saw someone at the corner of his eye. It was a woman in a splendid white robe with flowers in her hair. 

" _Padme_?" Came the last shuddering hiss before the blackness filled his vision. 

* * *

Anakin woke up with a jerk, wheezing as he inhaled. Blurry images above him formed until he could safely identity his padawn.  

"Ahsoka?" He croaked, his throat hurt a lot. He reached out with a hand to massage it. "What happened?" 

  
"I found you on the floor and you weren't breathing." Ahsoka said in a slightly worried manner. "I picked you up and took you to the ship." 

"Oh." That explains why he was resting on a cold metal floor and not a wet swampy squishy floor. 

"Are you okay? Did something happen?" 

"Uh. No." Anakin sat up slowly. "I...I don't really remember what happened. I just felt the dark side. It must of..." 

It was a really lame excuse. But Anakin really didn't want to talk about his pseudo fight with the Sith and how he almost lost. She might think he wasn't ready or that he'd be a liability. After all, they just needed a part and he didn't have to be there. He just had to fly home. It would be foolish to let him go on such a dangerous mission. But he couldn't just lie to her. Especially when she's pointing her big blue eyes at him. 

"I've been having dreams, Ahsoka. Of the dark side." He wet his lower lip with his tongue, turning his head to the side as he spoke. "The thing is, they're so real. If I reached out...I could touch him." _He could feel it calling to him. Louder than it was in the past without the din of war to muffle the words._

"Him?" 

"The Sith. Ever since I saw him on Naboo, I've been having these strange dreams. It's like...we're connected somehow. Which is pretty lame. Of all the people, it had to be a Sith." Anakin tried to make light of the situation but the grave expression on Ahsoka's face was having none of it. "I have a feeling we're going to see him again." 

"Anakin-I-" Ahsoka sighed. "Master-I-" 

"Anakin." Obi-Wan walked in, looking younger and more vibrant than before. Must be the fresh air. "Did you hurt yourself again?" 

 The Jedi in question laughed at that, even as his chest twinged in pain. Knowing she lost the moment, Ahsoka remained silent, her pleading eyes focused on her master. 

There was still time. She will tell him. She must. 

Or else, something terrible will happen.

* * *

"You have summoned me, my master?" Vader knelt before the hologram. 

"Yes. You will return to the Imperial city." Sidious began slowly, his yellow eyes burning a hole through his apprentice. "I have received word that Anakin Skywalker lives." 

For a moment there was silence as Vader digested these words. "How?" For to his knowledge, there was only one Anakin Skywalker. And he was dead. He died on Mustafar at the hands of his brother. 

"The how need not matter, Vader." The condescension in those words could be felt even across light years. "What matters is that he dies. Or he turns." 

Vader held his tongue. Unless his master wished it, he had no opinions to give. Nor would it seem that his master wanted his input in the matter. 

"The young Togruta Jedi is with him as well. It would be fitting to kill them together, perhaps, she dies first and he watches. Or he dies first. If we have the time." 

It would seem that Sidious truly believes that Anakin Skywalker is alive which is preposterous. He is right here, kneeling before his Sith master. Vader blinked slowly. This was the first time he'd ever referred to himself by that name. They weren't even same person. One was a Jedi and the other was a Sith. One killed children and the other saved them. One loved and hated. The other hated and raged. 

"Perhaps this will provide you with some closure, Lord Vader. It is not often one gets to physically get rid of their past." 

One had a padawan and the other apprentices that he used to overthrow the emperor. 

"What of Ahsoka Tano?" 

"Oh? Lord Vader, you have a suggestion?" 

"I would request the chance to turn her, Master. She is strong." 

"I will think about it. She may be an excellent addition to the Inquisitors." 

 _She'll kick their untrained asses._ The thought came and went so quickly Vader couldn't even comprehend where it sprouted. The rebellious thought lingered for a second before his mind returned to focusing on his master. 

"Soon Vader, soon it will all end. The remnants of the corrupted Republic, the last vestiges of the Jedi Order. Everything that we started, we will finish." 

"Yes. My Master." 

* * *

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin's revenge tendencies get nit picked.

It was that dream again. The one where Ahsoka walked away from him into the light while he stood in the growing darkness. It was that dream where he runs after her, chasing her, his hand reaching out to grab her arm but he could never catch her. The shadows behind him would reach out like some monstrous hand, engulfing his form while she stayed in the light. 

She had gone to a place he could not follow. 

Whenever he woke up from a dream like that, it left him moody and angry and he always checked his messages to see if she had checked in. Which left him even more frustrated when she didn't and a tiny bit worried about his ~~padawan.~~  

Even now, such a dream left him in chills. 

Especially now that his padawan had grown up and was helping run a rebellion against the Empire. 

"Obi-Wan." Anakin tried not to whine, he really did, but he was. "Why did Ahsoka leave?" 

"She has a rebellion to run." Came the dry  reply. 

"Then why didn't she ask us for help?" 

"I suspect we won't be much help." 

Anakin gave Obi-Wan a sidelong glance and grinned. "Well, I can see why you can't help being too ol-" He leaned to side to avoid being swatted. 

"Anakin." 

"Yes?" 

"No." 

"Anakin yes." Anakin said, pumping a fist in the air. 

"Anakin no." Obi-Wan rubbed his face with one hand, no doubt hiding his grimace. 

The somewhat cheerful mood vanished and all that was left was two tired men watching a tiny gremlin make dinner. It had been four days since Ahsoka and the other Jedi left, leaving a rather frustrated Anakin Skywalker to stew on a swamp planet. It has been four long days that no amount of meditation or training would ever make the days go faster. 

Anakin spent most of the time by himself, fixing what electronics that still operated and building new ones. It was a wonder Master Yoda was able to live in a place like this for so long. It helped move the day along as he mucks with what remained of the escape pod but it was never enough. 

Obi-Wan did what old people did. Sit and worry. Sit and wait. Sit and wonder. 

Anakin hated sitting for this long without action. To him it had only been days since he was pulled from the front lines. The inactivity ate at him. 

"Anakin. Have you- I do wonder, why have you not asked about what happened to you?" After a long period of silence, Obi-Wan spoke, his voice tight. "Surely you were curious." 

It took a few minutes for Anakin to speak, hands in his lap, his head bowed. "I am curious but I know that I died, that I left you alone to fight the Empire. I failed. That is all that is really important. For that, I am sorry, my master. I probably ran off by myself and got myself killed instead of waiting for you or the others."

Obi-Wan's hand rested on his shoulder. "It was not your fault for what happened."

"It is not yours either." Anakin reached out with his own hand, the warmth of Obi-Wan's arm brushing up against his. He looked up into Obi-Wan's weary blue eyes. "I will fix this. I will save us all. I promise."

"My brother." Obi-Wan whispered to him. 

"My brother." Anakin echoed back feeling pain in his chest as if someone had ripped his heart out. 

* * *

 

Anakin rested his weight on his hand, the other outstretched, as he focused on his balance and his connection to the Force. A few feet away a boulder floated with Obi-Wan sitting upon it. Yoda sat on his foot like some little gremlin.

As sorely tempted he was to force toss Obi-Wan into the nearest bog, it wasn't the Jedi way no matter how amusing it would be. 

He should give the old man a break. 

Or not. 

"Anakin." Obi-Wan didn't even open up his eyes. "No." 

The boulder wavered but remained where it was floating a few inches off the surface. It was a testament to Anakin's connection to the Force that he was capable of such a feat. Everything that a Jedi could do, he could do better and on a grander scale. There was no one else in the galaxy who could match him, none who shined so brightly in the Force it was blinding. 

But this power did not give him relief. 

Anakin's grip wavered once more, as his prosthetic arm made a whirling noise. He tried to focus once more as his mind was caught in a stream of thoughts that were most assuredly self destructive. Doubt wormed into his heart once more. His form wavered and he fell with a thump onto his backside. He felt the tremors in the ground as the boulder fell with a loud thud. 

"Troubled, you are." Master Yoda said by his ear. The Grandmaster had jumped away the moment his perch vanished, landing on the ground without a sound. "Wavering your focus has been." 

It has been a week since Ahsoka left and there has been no contact. Could anyone blame him? He had lost her and gained her back, only to watch her leave him again to fight a war that destroyed their world.

Anakin raised an arm and brought it across his face, sighing. Give him battledroids over talking about _feelings_ with Master Yoda. 

* * *

Ahsoka sighed and stretched her arms over her head. She walked down the ramp of her starship, this one her master might not put up a fuss with, it was one stolen from the Imperials after all. Not a rust bucket heap as her master was very fond of saying. 

"What in the Force." Ahsoka stared at the sight before her. 

Her master was engaged with Obi-Wan Kenobi, their blades locked while Master Yoda sat at the sidelines like some referee to a sparring match. 

It was more like a dance than a sparring match and Ahsoka watched as their blades elegantly cut through the air. It was breathtakingly beautiful and a sight she had thought she would never see again. As a youngling she had watched older padawans spar in the temple, practicing their forms and other masters sparring with each other. As a padawan, she had clocked in more combat time than many Jedi her age. The lightsaber had become an offensive weapon, used to take life as well as a defensive weapon. In turn, the Jedi had become combatants in a war and were no longer peace keepers. 

The two Jedi mirrored each other in perfect synchronicity. Their blue blades spun lazily in the air as they met each strike, relying only on technique and not force. It was a sharp contrast to their sparring, where they had gone all out on each other, wrestling for victory. It merely showed how different her master's relationship was with each of them. It was a different form of love. 

The fight ended a few minutes after her arrival in a tie, as predicted. Master Kenobi was one of the best fighters the Jedi had to offer and he taught Anakin. If they had truly fought, who would win? 

"Good attempt Master." Ahsoka clapped, walking over, a smirk on her face. "Think about it, in a few years you might even beat Master Kenobi." 

"I probably wouldn't be able to." Anakin clipped his lightsaber to his belt. "He'd die of old age long before I'd get a chance." 

"We can only hope." Master Kenobi said dryly but she could see the oddest expression on his face. It was gone as quickly as it came. 

Anakin walked over to her, his familiar smile on his face, his blue eyes glittering in silent mirth. "You have returned Ahsoka." 

"I have Master." 

"How did your journey go?" 

"It went well. Nothing I couldn't handle." 

"Good." He still had that ridiculous smile on his face. "I missed you." 

"I didn't." She hid her laugh at the shocked expression on her face. "I knew you'd be here, waiting for me. So I have returned." 

"So you have." 

Ahsoka stepped closer. "I see you've resorted to beating up old men in my absence." 

"Nonsense. The old man happened to be in my way." 

Ahsoka rested a hand on her hip, half bent forward, a cocky smile on her face. "It would seem I would have to fight for the virtue of this old man." 

Behind them, Obi-Wan made a noise in his throat. 

"You will fail. For I have a secret weapon." 

"Oh?" 

"Your holopictures as a youngling." 

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "You lie." 

"Oh? I am sure Master Plo Koon would be aghast his favorite youngling would think him a liar." 

"Master Plo Koon would never-" Ahsoka paused. "You don't have them do you."

"No. But now that you have confirmed their existence, I am certain that I will find them, that or badger Master Plo Koon."

"You wouldn't."

"Not immediately, not until after I end the Sith threat and bring you back to the temple."  

Ahsoka paused, the mirth gone from her face replaced with a serious expression. "What?" 

"When I go back, when I end the threat and the war is over, I'm bringing you back to the temple. It is obvious you were meant to be a Jedi. You were meant to stay by my side. Look at how well we fight together, how well things have gone. How much I missed you." Anakin gestured as he spoke. "Whatever reason that you left, you don't have to go."  

It was the same look on his face that he wore when the trial was over, relief and a yearning. 

"You've become an amazing Jedi by yourself. But you don't have to. You have me." 

There was a longing in his gaze. A want. A need. He wanted her to stay with him. But the Force warned her, it told her that if she were to remain, she would die. Back then she didn't understand why she felt as if she must run away from the only home she knew, from the only family she ever had. 

She knew now. All too late. She was alive because she ran. 

"I have to tell you something." Ahsoka said abruptly. "I should have told you before. You won't like it." 

"Try me." 

* * *

 

She dragged him back into her ship, where they could have some privacy and where Obi-Wan couldn't barge in. Would he approve of this? Anakin was his padawan after all. Obi-Wan lost a friend and student while she lost a master. What did Obi-Wan know? What did he see? Did he confront Vader in the beginning? 

But she knew. The moment they met, even across the stars, she recognized him and it nearly ripped her mind apart. She almost forgot. It was the only way to cope with what she had felt and what she had glimpsed. The person she had thought long dead was alive and well and trying to kill her. Vader surely recognized her. He was hunting her down now. 

She sat down and waited for him to get comfortable. He is eager and wide eyed, open for suggestions. How odd it was to feel like the elder, the more experienced of the two. He looked so young to her. It was disconcerting to reconcile the memory of him with the person before her now. 

"What do you think about the Sith Lord." She began slowly. 

"I'm going to kill him." 

Ahsoka knew that was the answer. Her master seemed to work well in war, she wasn't sure how peace time would agree with him. "Isn't killing in rage a path to the dark side?" 

"Not if I kill him very gently." Anakin threw his hands out in disgust. "Ahsoka, he's a Sith Lord. I'm going to do the galaxy a favor. He's going to die. Why do you care? Did you know him?" 

 _Yes. I did. So did you._ Ahsoka didn't voice her thoughts. "Does it matter?" She asked lightly, worry growing in her breast. 

"No. What he used to be didn't matter. He choose to turn his back on the Jedi Order, on the Republic. He joined the dark side. He murdered the Jedi. There is nothing waiting for him but death. Maybe his ghost can ask for redemption from the dead for he surely will not get any from me." 

"Forgiveness is a Jedi trait." 

"Given that most of the Jedi are dead, I'm sure they won't mind if I put their murderer six feet under." 

"I don't think they would like it if you fell to the dark side." The words escaped her lips before she could stop and she froze, looking at Anakin for his reaction. 

"What?" 

Ahsoka gathered her courage. She wasn't afraid. No. Just cautious. Rarely did her master get angry or lose his temper but he did so more than other Jedi. He'd always been passionate much like herself. It was why they were such a good team. 

"I don't want you to fall to the dark side." She stated firmly, her blue eyes staring him down. "I'm not going to lose you in the process. We don't need to kill the Sith Lord. We just need to get the parts and then you can expose Chancellor Palpatine for what he really is. We want to avoid a confrontation." 

 "Ahsoka..." 

"Did you know what they did to Jedi they captured? They killed them or turned them." Ahsoka said frankly. "The ones they turn? The ones who were too young and too inexperienced? He made them into Inquisitors. They're Jedi hunters. You're not invincible Master. In this tumultuous time, the dark side is always present, and waiting. I'm not going to let them-let you-" 

She sighed and turned her head away from Anakin. 

"Ahsoka I would never turn to the dark side." 

"I'm not so certain." Ahsoka looked at him again. "I knew him. The Sith Lord? I knew him and I would have never thought that he would ever turn. He was a brave, kind, and wise Jedi. I looked up to him. He was my hero. Not just the Republic's but mine."

"Who is he? Who is that-" Was this jealousy? It was a very un-Jedi like trait.

"It's you. The Sith Lord? It's you."  

 

 

* * *

 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka tells the truth as she knows it. It is enough. For now.

Silence reigned in the borrowed ship.

Ahsoka sat, her hands on her lap, fingers clenched as she waited for Anakin's response. She had thought about how to tell her master the truth and whether or not she should.  During the long trips she had meditated, asking for guidance from the Force. She had already told Anakin what really mattered, the true identity of Sidious. It would be far more harmful to tell her master about who he may become What could she say? Yet, it would be remiss of her to say nothing. The truth would come out sooner or later. 

"Master?" 

Anakin barked out a laugh and then realized, he was the only one laughing. Ahsoka was staring at him with such _focus_ it freaked him out, just little bit. This wasn't real. Him? A Sith Lord? She was joking. She was making some elaborate metaphor that he couldn't comprehend. 

"Ahsoka." He shook his head,"That wasn't very funny." 

"Anakin," Ahsoka gestured with one hand, making a sharp motion, her own emotions rising to the surface. "I'm not joking. It's the truth." 

"That's ridiculous." Said Anakin, scoffing. "I would never become a Sith." 

Ahsoka just _stared_ at him with her huge blue eyes. "Would I ever lie to you, Master?" 

"Yes." 

"Not about the things that matter." Ahsoka scowled, every inch the adult she was. "Not about this." 

"What you're talking can't be real. It can't be true." Anakin touched his chest with his hand for emphasis. "I can't be a Sith." 

"I wish it wasn't true." Ahsoka said quietly. "But it is."  

"I-" Anakin felt his confusion rise to the surface, his frustration as to what Ahsoka was talking about, knowing that she wouldn't lie to him."That isn't me. I'm not- I would never!" He clamped down on his anger, irritation, slow realization as to what she was flat out telling him. "But I died? Didn't I?"  

"That's the offical story." Ahsoka turned her head to the side, her arms crossed over her chest. "I thought you died on Mustafar. I mourned you for years as I mourned the Jedi Order. A month ago, we came in contact with Imperial forces and at its head was Darth Vader. He was flying a TIE fighter and almost shot us down. I felt him and at the same time, he felt me." 

Ahsoka shivered. "All I felt was immense pain, sorrow, guilt and anger. The dark side was strong in him." 

Anakin adopted the same pose she had, arms crossed in front of his chest, a pensive look on his face. It was a lot for him to digest and it would seem, that Ahsoka had yet to reconcile what she knew about his future. What may be his future. Well it wasn't going to happen. He wasn't going to turn to the dark side. None of this will come to past. He won't let it. 

"Sometimes I wonder what would had happened had I stayed. Would it have made a difference?" Ahsoka wondered, her voice soft. "Would I have made that difference?" 

In the gentle light, she looked younger than she was and older at the same time. 

Anakin's heart ached at the sight. It had only been a few days since Ahsoka left. He watched her leave, her head up and her back straight. In his clenched fist was her padawan's braid. It now rested in his room along with her lightsabers. He had retrieved it after she escaped. Her lightsabers were her life, or were her life and he had held onto them, safeguarding them until she returned. 

Now she had two new lightsabers with blazing white blades. 

He was so damn proud of her. "Don't beat yourself up about this. It won't happen. I won't let it." Anakin leaned against the wall, the top of his head brushing the ceiling. "This future won't happen. Trust me." 

"I do." Said Ahsoka, a glimmer of a smile on her lips. "You have no idea how much." 

"Oh? I bet I do. I used to be a padawan too, you know? I didn't become a great Jedi in one night." Anakin then dropped his head into his hand, his voice muffled and pained. "Does Obi-Wan know?" 

Ahsoka winced. "Well...everyone knows? I mean, I didn't even know the other Jedi were even alive. But, yes, I think he knows." 

"Great." Blue eyes fixed on hers, his shaggy bangs covering his forehead. "Good to know. Force he must be so disappointed in me."  

Ahsoka reached over to pat her master's arm. "He's probably gotten over it by now, right?" 

Another groan. "He was living on Tatooine." 

"He was hiding there, the Empire never had much of a presence in the Outer Rim." 

This time the groan was deeper and more desperate." Obi-Wan must of known from the very beginning. Why else would he hide on Tatooine? He knows I hate sand. I hate that place. Nothing good happens there." 

"He was your master."

Anakin rested his head against the wall, his face pale. "Just like I was yours."

"Did I disappoint you? When I left?"

It was Anakin's turn to break his gaze, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat as he turned his head. "No. I was very proud of your decision to make your own path. I wasn't happy that you left, that you left me and I had wondered if it was my fault. But I see now, you had to leave. It saved your life. It saved you from...from me." 

It all began to make sense now, his dreams and that mysterious figure in black whose voice he could never hear. The dark side was always there, just inches from his grasp, taunting him. His failures, his mistakes, all of it sat in the back of his mind like some looming specter. 

Fabric rustled as he slid to the ground, his legs stretched out, arms laying limply in his lap. "Ever since I came to this time, I've been having visions again." Anakin began quietly. "They were dreams of terrible things. Dreams of loss, death and suffering. But the dreams were more real, tangible in a way they have never been before. I think they're memories. I think they're his _memories._ " 

Once more silence filled the starfighter. 

"If I try really hard, I bet I could start sensing his emotions." He splayed his fingers across his face, looking haggard. "I met him in a dream, or was it a vision?" 

"There's nothing left of me in him." Anakin said with sadness etched on his face. "When I was nine, I met Qui-Gon Jinn and I told him that Jedi could never die. Look at me now, one of the greatest Jedi killers of all. I wonder what he's thinking right now." 

The dark side has always been apparent, more so now than before. Ahsoka could feel it pooling into the room, swirling around her master, a cyclone of wretchedness and sorrow manifesting itself blotting out the brilliance that was her Master's light. He had such _power_  he tugged and pulled at the Force without really thinking about it. He was divided, at the precipice, the turning point. She could see it. The precarious place where his spirit lied.

"He's not you. You are a brave and wise Jedi who taught me everything I know. The man in that armor is not Anakin Skywalker. He is not the man I have trained under. My Master is a strong and passionate Jedi Knight who was the best pilot and fighter I've ever known. He's as wise as Master Yoda, as strong in the Force as Master Kenobi and as brilliant a tactician as Master Plo Koon." Ahsoka slid to the ground, as to be eye level with her Master. "My Master is compassionate and I believe in him. I always have." 

"You shouldn't. I'm not everything you think I am. Sometimes if I focus hard enough, I believe in the lie just like you do." Anakin looked at Ahsoka tiredly. "I'm not the greatest Jedi. I am possibly the worst." 

"No. Master, don't say that." 

"I am." Anakin's mind swirled with his tortured thoughts, as he began to put the pieces together. "I did a terrible thing, I did a monstrous thing and to this day, no one knows but me. Do you want to know?" 

Ahsoka didn't like the look of self depreciation that was on her master's face. Like a fragile egg, the mask that her master had on was slowly cracking away, revealing this uncertain creature who had doubts and fears. It made him real and it made her love him all the more. She knew she wasn't a perfect person or even a great one. But she tries and she tries and that was all that mattered in the end.

Perfection is chased but never caught. 

"I'm here for you, Anakin, if you don't want me to know I won't push the issue." 

His smile was crooked and wicked at the same time, as if amused by her decision. "Not after I tell you the truth." 

"Try me." 

"As a padawan, I was having dreams of my mother. Dreams of her dying. She was crying out to me." Anakin began slowly, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "I had to save her. I went back to Tatooine for the first time in many years. I found her, captured and tortured by Tusken Raiders. She died in my arms. I failed her." 

He wet his lower lip with his tongue. "I killed them. The entire village. I killed them all. Every child and every mother. I murdered them." 

Ahsoka's eyes went wide despite her best attempt at keeping her face calm. 

"Palpatine didn't create that monster, he was in me all along." 

 

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka hugs Anakin. Vader needs hugs. Ahsoka needs hugs.

Obi-Wan rubbed his beard, a smile hidden in its depths. "Rex. My old friend."

"General Kenobi. Sir."

The two old men looked at each other one with nervous apprehension and the other with a sadness that was unfathomable as the darkest edges of space. So much had changed between them yet still, they could feel that camaraderie that bound them together so long ago. 

"It's good to see you, sir. Good to see Commander Tano." Rex coughed into his fist. "She's gotten bigger."   
  
"And wiser."  
  
Rex stared at the ship, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I wonder who she's talking to, they've been in there for a long time."  

"An old friend." Obi-Wan said shortly, coughing into his fist. 

"Huh. Wonder who that is." 

Yes, Obi-Wan would love to know that too. The man who he had spent several days with talking to was...an old friend. He had a boundless joy in him that could be overtaken by pain and suffering as quickly as a drop of a hat. A man whose force presence was so strong he was the brightest star on a starry night. Yet this image clashed with the dark figure that haunted his dreams. With the angry face and the fearful voice of an old friend who fought him on Mustafar. Did he die? Was this a dream? 

This was too painful to be a dream. As much as he wondered if he had died on Mustafar, the trials he'd been through showed all too well that he was alive and suffering. Death would not be this painful. He had aches in his knees and his elbows and his back bothered him sometimes. 

He will have to tell Anakin about what happened, about Mustafar and what exactly transpired. Ahsoka could only say so much. Ahsoka only knew so much. Could he explain to his former padawan the truth? Would Anakin understand?   
  
"What are you thinking about sir?" 

"The past, the present and the future." Obi-Wan said quietly. "But mainly the present, the here and now." 

"You got a bad feeling about this?" 

"No." That surprised him. He didn't know what was to come. "Always changing, the future is." 

* * *

Vader could never ask for forgiveness. He had spent too many years on his knees, bowing his head to his master to ever think of asking for forgiveness. He would never ask of anything, he would demand, he would command. He had lived his life in all its rigidness, in the straight paths that power took him on. To ask for forgiveness is to acknowledge the guilt he feels in his soul. He could not give credence to the little voice in the back of his head that looked at all he had done and despair. The moment he does, everything will fall, the little house of cards he built over the wreckage of his life- it would all come crashing down. 

Anakin Skywalker had no such desires, he had no such fears. Not now. Not when the truth is so apparent before his eyes. He would ask forgiveness of his oldest friend, of his former apprentice, of his dead wife. He would bleed himself dry to fix the mistakes. He would do anything for Ahsoka. 

(Even destroy the world. It is easy in a way to see how Sidious manipulated him into destroying the very people he fought with.)

"Do you hate me?" He asked her this, a boyish look on his face, full of doubt. 

"No. I could never hate you." Ahsoka quickly reassures him and perhaps herself. She sighs. "I am uncertain as to how I feel, but I know that I can't ever hate you, ever. Especially you, my master. Vader...I fear for him. I fear him. He is a Sith Lord."

"And I?"

"You are-were my master. You are my friend."  

"And you are mine." 

The two shared a small smile between them, two battle hardened veterans of two different wars. Anakin is the first to let his smile drop off, let the weariness seep into his skin and show on his face. The crow's feet at the edges of his eyes deepened as he took a moment to think. He lets out a short laugh, more like a bark than anything else. 

"It can't be this easy." He presses his hand to his face. "Redemption can't be this easy." 

"Redemption?" 

"It's...it's the wrong word. I've been trying to be a good Jedi for all my life, trying to be the Chosen One that Obi-Wan sees, the Chosen One that Qui-Gon saw. During the war, I thought I found that place, the role that I was born for...." Anakin sighs even deeper. 

"I think you're a good Jedi." Ahsoka offers. "Sure, you made mistakes and sure, you had your failures but isn't that what makes us...alive? Living beings connected through the Force? We all fail and we all make mistakes but the important thing is to keep going. There are no absolutes. There is always a choice." 

"Obi-Wan said that. He told me..." Anakin smiled now as if reliving a good memory. "Only the Sith dealt in absolutes. Of course, he was trying to get me to get to eat some vegetables and was threatening the lack of sweets." 

"You never spoke of your apprenticeship, Master, of course we were at war and there really wasn't any time to do that. You were busy teaching me how to survive." 

"I did my job. I am thankful I did." He looked at his former padawan and that smile became a grin that reached his eyes. To Ahsoka, he looked so much younger, and so much happier and at ease. "Did I ever mention how proud I am of you?" 

"All the time Master." 

"Good. You should hear it more often. You are a Jedi and a wise one. You are strong. Don't ever forget that." 

"I won't."   
  
"Do we have everything we need for our plan?" 

"Yes. Mostly everything. We should be able to start traveling in a few days. But, we might need to divert. There is something troubling with the reports coming in, about the Inquisitors and their interest in....me." Ahsoka knew why they were interested. She also knew this was going to put pressure on their mission and unwanted attention. As much as she would want to lie low, she couldn't let Anakin do this himself. She wouldn't let him face the Dark Lord by himself. Who knows what would happen. Something terrible. She could sense it. The dark side was so strong here. 

"Because of me, isn't it?" 

"No! No. Because of Vader. He wants me." Perhaps Vader still cared. Or he wants to drag her before his master alive to be turned to the dark side. Before, Ahsoka was capable of guessing her master's moods and figuring out what he wanted. Now she was a ship adrift in a maelstrom. Foolishly, she has clung to a familiar harbor, her master. She should have distanced herself and now, she has let her feelings get in the way. 

"He's not going to get you. He'll have to go through me first." Anakin said with the full confidence of someone who will not only start the fight but also end it. 

"He's stronger than he seems. Even if he is in that suit, his strength in the Force is strong and no doubt more refined now after years of study. He's still an unparalleled pilot and fighter. All of the Jedi who have gone up against him died." 

"He hasn't fought me." 

Honestly, Ahsoka feared what would happen if they fought. Who would win? Who would die? As much as she believed in her master, times have changed and good people have died. Vader was a monster. They could not afford to lose Anakin now. No, the best thing would be avoid any fights. 

"Our objective is to get you home, we just need to fly the star fighters out of there and jump to hyperspace before the fleet catches us." 

"I know."   
  
"Hopefully we can sneak onto the planet without anyone the wiser. Master Plo Koon will provide some air support and Master Yoda will show us the way into the temple." Ahsoka frowned and corrected herself. "What used to be the temple. They changed it. Made it....into something else. There will be some guards but we should be able to get around them. And with the search going on, their Inquisitors should be flying around the galaxy looking for me. It's the perfect timing."  

The perfect storm. Was the Force waiting for this? Setting everything in motion so she could be here at the right time and place to help her master? To save the galaxy? Or was it all a fanciful coincidence? Only time will tell. 

 

 

 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things speed up alarmingly

Ezra watched with amazement, as he dragged Kanan and Zeb out of danger. He almost stumbled over them in fact. 

Ahsoka was a whirlwind of light, her movements graceful as she battled both of the Inquisitors herself. Master Skywalker was on the other side watching. No doubt that contributed with the Inquisitor's sloppy fighting. Ezra wasn't worried at all. He knew that Ahsoka would save them. Seeing her step out from the doors gave him hope. Then he spotted Master Skywalker and it made his heart beat even harder in his chest. He may finally got to see them both in action! 

Kanan didn't even protest when he finally gained his bearings. He just caught sight of Master Skywalker and quickly got to the ship. 

They powered the ship up and flew over the fight. By then, one of the Inquisitors was flat on his face and the other was crumpled against the floor. "Let's go." Ezra called out from the ramp. 

With a smoothness and grace that Ezra could never replicate, the two Jedi flipped onto the ramp and to safety. 

"Woah! That was so cool!" Ezra said excitedly. "Ahsoka, you're amazing! You took them both on!" 

Ahsoka accepted the praise with a tilt of her head. 

Skywalker shrugged,"She fought better when she was fourteen." 

"Really?" Ezra knew that Ahsoka was years away from him in skill but to think that such a gap existed between them? Would he ever be able to catch up? "Woah." 

Skywalker smirked. "I bet she could tell you all about it." 

Unbeknownst to Ezra, Ahsoka scowled at Skywalker. With a jaunty wave, Skywalker walked away, leaving her alone with a very excited Ezra. 

* * *

 

"Thanks for the assistance." Kanan said to Anakin as he entered the cockpit. "If you guys weren't there..." 

"Don't thank me. Ahsoka was the one who sensed the danger." Anakin sat down. "I was just backup in case they were more trouble than she could handle." 

"She did amazing." 

"I know." 

"So...will you be staying? I mean, helping out? I know you have some top secret mission but the Rebellion could use someone like you. I- I could use someone of your caliber here." 

As much as he wanted to, Anakin's path lied somewhere else. To his own time. He was going to solve this so that it never happened. 

"No. I have another mission." 

"Oh. Um. Well.." 

Kanan was broadcasting so loudly he might as well spoke. "You're worried about Ezra." 

"No. Yes. No. Um. Yes. I am. It's just...he's advancing so quickly and I'm just worried about him." Kanan shrugged helplessly. "He's a kid and he's in a rebellion and he might die or get hurt or-" 

Anakin raised a hand. "Calm yourself. Breathe. Focus." 

Kanan took a deep breath and then another. "I'm worried that I will fail him one day. That I may cause his death. Sometimes, I don't know what to do. There has been so many close calls recently. What am I going to do? I can't protect him forever." 

"You'll have to let go." Anakin said softly, his voice almost a whisper. He leaned his head against the wall, hands splayed on his knees.

His mind drew him back to when he almost lost Ahsoka, when she was away from his side and in danger and he couldn't be there to save her. He hadn't been ready to let her go then. He wasn't ready when she decided to leave the Jedi Order and now, he had no choice. She had grown up and continued on, without him. 

_When I was out there, alone, all I had was your training and the lessons you taught me. And because of you, I did survive. And not only that, I was able to lead others to survive as well._

 "You train them and if you have trained them well, they will come back and return to you." Anakin said somberly. 

* * *

 

"Where are you going? I can ask, right?" Hera asked, both eyebrows raised. "You've been rather quiet." 

"It's a secret." Ahsoka said apologetically. "There's a real risk that we might not return and if that were to happen...." 

"But that isn't going to happen. " Hera said firmly. "You'll succeed and return. The Rebellion needs you." 

"No it doesn't. It needs ordinary people who are willing to fight against the Empire." Ahsoka rested her hand on Hera's shoulder. "People like you." 

Hera huffed. "Oh really?" 

"Yes. I really do." 

"What's really going on?" 

"I'm...going away for a long time Hera. I'm partaking in a risk and it might blow up in my face. Everything I have done may have been for nothing." Ahsoka sighed and crossed her arms across her chest. "Once we step off in a few hours, there is no turning back." 

"Serious chance of death?" 

"Absolutely if we get caught. Or worse." 

"I'm surprised they're letting you two do this, if the risk is that high. We need you. We need the Jedi."

"I am no Jedi."

"Umhm." Hera placed her hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Good luck and may the Force be with you." 

* * *

"Bye!" Ezra waved as the ship began to take off. "Take care!"

Ahsoka gave him a small wave as Anakin piloted the shuttle. "Cute kid."

"Reminds me of you when you were small," Anakin said as he prepared the coordinates for the hyperspace jump.  

"Oh?" 

"Yep. You were so tiny then." 

"Anakin!" 

"What? It's true. Remember when we found those mercenaries? What was it that he called you? Knee high?" Anakin chortled. 

"I'm not short anymore. I'm almost as tall as you." 

"True." Anakin turned from the controls, his gaze softening. "Every time I look at you, it's as if I met you the first time all over again. I keep thinking that I'm back home, that you're by my side. But I'm not." 

"I've been by myself for so long, your presence startles me." Ahsoka admitted quietly. "You bring back a lot of pain, Master. But a lot of happiness too. Leaving hurt me too. You were my family." 

 

"We are still a family. All of us. I'm going to make this right." 

"I know." 

"Get some sleep, we'll get to the rendezvous point in a few hours." 

* * *

 

Vader looked out into the vastness of space and the emptiness. 

He's been having dreams again. Visions. Flickers of memories that were not his. For one thing, he was seeing Ahsoka again. She looked exactly as the holos described her. A tall Togruta female with an athletically built body made for quick movements. Her robes were different and the shape of her face had gotten longer. The last time he saw her-

She was so-

She was just so-

She trusted in him. She was small and spry and active and so quick and brilliant-

He was so _proud_ of her. So damn proud of what she had accomplished in such a short time. His fourteen year old apprentice had become a formidable fighter and leader. She could have been a knight. She could have-

She could have served by his side. She would have been protected. He could have protected her. But she ran away from him. She hid. She fought his forces. **She refused him! She left! She left him!**

_Do you know what I've become?_

 

His reflection had shifted and now he was staring at Anakin Skywalker, the man he killed. No matter how it happened, there was a clone of himself running around pretending to be him. What gall. 

_"You won't hurt her. I won't let you."_

A voice that wasn't a voice entered his mind. Ah. So they shared a bond. As they were both the same person. Buried so deep in his mind, where that piece of Anakin Skywalker still lived. The tiny voice in the back of his head that raged and whispered and cried out. The voice he ignored until it no longer existed. 

"Do you truly think that you could ever protect her? Does she fear your touch? All she sees is me. You are the past. You are not real little shade." 

The image flinched. 

"You are a ghost." 

_"I'm going to kill you for what you did to the Jedi."_

"Revenge is not the Jedi way." 

Now the ghost smirked, his features twisted with a touch of darkness. What a fool he was back then, to not see the path he was walking.

_"It's not revenge, it's murder. I'm going to stab you in the face."_

Even from here Vader could sense the vitriolic. He could almost taste the dark side. How long was he teetering on that fine line between the dark and the light? 

_"You deserve to die."_

Ah. So that was it. Vader could feel the self loathing. He could feel the turmoil and the anguish. 

"I know but you will not be the one to strike me down." 

Darth Vader turned and walked away. He of all people knew the depth of his crimes.

The people he betrayed.

The love he killed. 

Perhaps he was wrong and the clone was not the ghost, perhaps it was him. He is the specter wearing a dead man's clothes. A wraith made of rage and grief. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghosts never rest peacefully

Honestly, he wasn't sure what he expected. 

Anakin stepped quietly through the secret passage way, brushing away cobwebs and being painfully aware of the silence. Ahsoka trailed in his wake, as mindful as he was. Getting to the Temple, or rather the Imperial palace, would have been very difficult if it weren't for the centuries old knowledge Yoda imparted to them. Everything had changed. 

Viewing what used to be the shining pillars of the Temple from afar made his heart ache. 

Anakin didn't even need to look at Ahsoka to know what she felt. He could see it in the sharpness of her gaze and through their bond.

_'You doing alright?'_

_'Yes Master'_

He didn't want to overstep and continue pestering her, but Anakin couldn't shake off the feeling of impending doom. Perhaps it was due to the heavy influence of the dark side and the fact that they were walking towards it. No matter how much they shield themselves, they were walking towards it. Even the air felt oppressive. 

So far, they hadn't encountered any guards or security. These tunnels were old and no doubt no longer marked on any builder's schematic. While they were taking this route, Master Yoda and a few others were taking another way. They were going to provide a distraction.  This plan was one of Anakin's harebrained schemes. But it was the only plan they had. 

Aside from murdering Sidious, Vader and the Inquisitors in one massive explosion. 

(Also an option but Anakin was quickly vetoed by an incredulous Ahsoka.) 

His boots made barely any noise as their path turned into an incline. A hundred feet later and Anakin found the right section of wall and carefully cut a hole. With a quiet thump, the two Jedi climbed through and continued on their carefully planned path. This plan was reliant on their ability to be very quiet and not to alert any of the stormtroopers or other force sensitives floating around. 

Anakin was holding himself well, his shields protected him from the worse of the psychic backlash of a hundred murdered Jedi. It protected him from the roiling dark side that lurked in every corner like some predator hunting in the dark. He even made sure to not touch anything, no the walls or the columns. The last thing he needed was psychic shock. Secretly, he was also scared of what he might sense. He was a part of this too. Unfortunately. 

This was where the Sith struck against the Jedi. 

They encountered the first body five minutes later. It was of a clone trooper. An ARC trooper actually. Anakin carefully nudged the body with the tip of his boot. "He's part of the 501st." Anakin said quietly. 

One of his. 

The second body was a few feet away, a desiccated corpse of a Jedi.  And behind the Jedi....

"Oh." Ahsoka breathed in softly. "Oh no." 

Small bodies lain behind the Jedi. There were six of them of various sizes, two of which were slightly larger. Who they were and what they looked to be was lost to time and decay. They were most likely trying to escape when they were found by the ARC trooper.

Anakin's heart clenched at the sight. He shouldn't have been surprised that- 

It was a war. Kids die. Women die. People die. He shouldn't have been surprised-

Ahsoka walked over to the bodies, carefully pulling back the cloth, which turned out to be a heavily degraded cloak. She clenched her jaw. 

"Younglings." Anakin said quietly. "They killed younglings." 

A soft rage filled his being. Sharp lines become soft fuzzy shapes and shadows tinged the edges of his vision. 

This was his _home_.

How _dare_ they do this to his home.

* * *

Ahsoka steeled her heart for what was to come. She wasn't naive. She knew what Order 66 entailed, the betrayal of the clone troopers and the rise of the Empire. Jedi became public enemy number one. Yet, she couldn't have anticipated the effect of seeing the corpses of her fellow Jedi. Her emotions ran strongly. Her control wavered. 

"We're going to stop this." She said in the silence. "This won't happen. None of this."

Ahsoka felt through their bond sending a feeling of calm reassurance to her master. She glanced over at him as she pulled the cloak over the youngling's face. He was taking this hard. For him, this was very new and the shock and horror was fresh as opposed to hers. She was the war torn veteran and older. He was the fresh soldier from another conflict. 

They continued on. 

On and on they walked, until the walls began to look familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time. Ahsoka's frown grew as the emblems of the Empire were displayed. Now they had to skulk in every corner, passing by bored looking guards and officials in grey. She got all the way to the hanger when she realized, rather alarmed, that she lost track of her master. 

"....You've got to be kidding me." 

* * *

He spotted the boy by accident, a child with sandy hair and big eyes. What was a kid doing here? The boy beckoned to Anakin quietly motioning  for him to follow. Anakin glanced at Ahsoka, she was forging ahead with determination, and he easily separated from her. It wasn't like he wasn't going to do this in the first place. She'll understand once he kills Vader. Get rid of one monster and the rest will follow. 

So he followed the boy. 

The kid, the youngling, would go a few feet and then look back at him and then continue on. 

Instinctively, he knew that the boy was dead. He knew that the boy was a ghost. But he followed because he had to. 

The ghost vanished in a flash of blue and Anakin came to a stop in an empty room save for a small box. Anakin scanned for any security features before he crossed the room in four steps. The box was made of some sort of metal, shaped like a coffin. With a heavy heart, he brushed the dust away from the glass. It was the boy, his flax colored bangs covering his forehead. His eyes were open, staring at nothing and his lips were parted. 

"I didn't think I would get to see you again, my dear boy," The thin high arched voice broke his concentration like thunder across an open blue sky. 

Anakin rose to his feet, his lightsaber ignited in one hand, a snarl on his lips. "Sidious." 

The emperor stood in the doorway, walking forward as if he were an old man, covered in a black cloak. Behind him, Vader walked through and stood behind his master like a guard dog.

"If you had asked, then I would have welcomed you gladly to my Imperial palace." Sidious continued. 'You need not have attempted to sneak in and kill my guards to do so." 

From the open door,two Inquisitors walked in, dragging in a limp familiar form. 

"Truly a pity, and to think I have been looking for her for so long only to find her skulking in my home." Sidious continued, shaking his head. "To think I would find the terrorist in my home, standing over my bed ready to kill me!" 

Clearly Anakin was not affected by the theatrics. The silent Inquisitors were as emotionless, their faces covered by their masks. 

"Her life is in your hands now. Join me, and I may be persuaded to keep her alive." 

 

 


	14. Chapter 14

Ahsoka knew her actions were fraught with danger, but what could she do? She had lost her esteemed master in the bowels of the Temple and she could not sense the brightness of his Force signature in the mired fog that surrounded the Temple. She did the only things he knew how to do. Finding the Inquisitors was easy. They had been too confident in their skills to realize she had played them, pretending to be defeated when in truth she was laying her trap. 

Why search for her master when the Inquisitors would bring her to him? 

From beneath hooded eyes, she spotted her master. He stood in the middle of what used to be the Council chambers, a box by his feet. A few yards away from her was Sidious and behind him, Darth Vader. Laying eyes upon him, she had to stifle a gasp least her ruse be discovered. She had not the pleasure of seeing him in person and now- 

And now-

Her heart clenched in her chest as she senses nothing of her master in Darth Vader. 

Ahsoka prepares herself for the inevitable battle and she leaps into action, summoning her lightsabers from the distracted Inquisitor's belts. In one swift motion, before either of them could react, she beheads them, and stands tall. She catches a brief flash of pride from her master before the room erupts into chaos. 

Anakin goes for Darth Vader without question, his blue blade clashing against red. 

How arrogant it was of the Sith to bring so little reinforcements.

Ahsoka dives at Sidious, he looked all too amused by the fighting to be prepared for any attack. But she was met with resistance as a heavy blow knocks her away and she had to cushion her fall with the Force. He looks at her, his hideous face warped in pleasure. "You best be careful, little Jedi."

Even with her lightsabers pointed at him, her intent to bring him down apparent, he doesn't even look at her. Instead his gaze is fixated on the two figures fighting in the room. Her existence is nothing but a blip on his radar. By all accounts, this frail old man should have been at the very least concerned about his well being! Yet, he doesn't deign her with even the smallest micron of interest. 

It brings a surge of irritation into her chest. Who was he to dismiss her like that? 

As if sensing her thoughts, he gives her a look from the corner of her eye and Ahsoka felt a shiver run down her spine. "I see you have questions, young Jedi." 

Instead of feeling relieved that he is focused on her, all she could feel is dread. For some reason, she is rooted to the ground, and his eyes are on her. 

"Do you wonder how I managed to ensnare your master?" Sidious begins, "All those years ago. All those secrets he managed to keep from you? The pointless war you fought in?" 

He grins, yellow teeth revealed, his pale skin stretched. "All of this was my doing. Your acts are that of a dying animal against the wishes of its master." 

"Look. Your master is losing. He cannot fight against his fate." 

* * *

 

He's losing. 

Anakin has finally met his match in the dark reflection of himself. Against this superior foe, there is nothing he could do but defend. 

He's losing ground. Step by Step. The room is too small. It feels as if there are more than them present. He could see that boy again. The youngling with the sad expression on his face. Anakin twists his body around to catch the blow grunting under the weight of the strike. Vader shows no sign of stopping, no signs of fatigue while Anakin breathes heavily. There is a pause in the fighting, a split second of rest. 

From the corner of his eye he could see Ahsoka, her aggressive stance as she challenges Sidious. 

As his gaze shifts, the ghost catches his eyes and with a gentle tug, pulls him down into the past. 

It feels like an out of body experience, the council room returned to its earlier splendor, the seats arranged neatly. There are younglings there, hiding, looking up at him with such hope and awe. The boy is there too. There is a moment of relief before it is chased away by surprise. 

It is a memory. But it doesn't save Anakin from his anger, from his helplessness as the younglings are cut down by his hand. He didn't have to be able to hear the words. He just knew. 

Anakin comes back to himself, his eyes wet with tears.

Vader stands there, immobile as a statue,  and he could feel nothing. Not anger, nor fear, nor regret. 

"Why?" Anakin asks finally, his voice cracked around the edges. 

There is no answer. In the face of his past, all his lies and all his words fall in meaningless sounds from his lips. 

Vader merely lifts his blade up in a silent challenge.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Looking at himself, the Jedi he used to be and all that he had lost only filled Vader with rage. It was an irrational anger. It was.......

Vader struck, through the red filter of his helmet, he could see everything. Skywalker was buckling under his strength. 

As he should. 

The dark side made him strong. There was no one else who could defeat him. No one who held his leash. No one. 

_Stop lying to yourself._

The voice was back. The soft whisper of a man who was long dead. It had been growing louder, permeating his thoughts and his dreams. No longer did he rest in silence but with an incessant voice whispering, trying to speak to him. He had thought confronting his younger incarnation would silence the voice. But all it did was make it louder.

All he could see was the living memory of everything he used to be, everything that he once had. 

He had to kill it. He had to kill Skywalker. He had to discard the last remnants of his past.

He struck over and over, pulling on the dark side to give him strength. He let his anger, his hate, his fear guide him. He struck out against the light. 

Even as it called to him. 

* * *

Ahsoka took a leap. 

Their fight was a blur with Vader striking with hard strokes while Anakin was on the defensive. She never saw her master fight with such hesitation. Even as he faltered, even as Vader's blade coming past his guard, there was this faraway look in his face. Anakin was always focused on the present. On what is. 

She activated her lightsabers mid jump, catching the descending red lightsaber. "Vader." With a flick of her wrist she pushes Vader's strike back. 

"Ahsoka." 

"Ahsoka." 

She stood her ground, standing between her master and Darth Vader. Hearing their voices at the same time calling out her name had sent shivers running down her spine. 

"Vader." 

Ahsoka had not imagined this confrontation. She was content to be an agent for the Rebellion, being a small thorn in the Empire side and helping where she could. It was easier than to confront what used to be. Worlds were the Jedi used to be welcomed were now dangerous. The Empire's reach was far and their agents were everywhere. She did not understand it then and now; now she is world weary. Now she understands. 

Knowing did not ease the pain. It made it worse. 

Her lips moved but nothing came out. 

* * *

A moment. A pause. 

That was all it took for everything to unravel inside Vader. Seeing Ahsoka before him, alive and well. She was protecting his weaker self, the parts of him he had cut off and discarded.

His suit kept him from letting out a stuttering breath, his exhale a soft hiss. 

"Ahsoka." Vader says again, his voice could no longer come out in anything but a mechanical snarl. The suit had robbed him of that too. 

Their encounter was just for them. There was no audience, no Sith Master standing on the sidelines watching this with glee nor a defeated Jedi on the floor. All he could see was her. The strong lines of her jawbones, the sharp marks along her skin and-

He no longer needed to bend his head down to look at her. 

Ahsoka looks at him with such large eyes, and there is this hope in them, an offer that she could not voice. In a flash, he could see himself traveling with his former padawan. The easy smile on her lips. They feel of her hand against his arm. The easy companionship they shared a long time ago. There is a promise in her eyes.

His breathing would never grow ragged, his heart never race. The suit regulated everything. Yet, still, he could feel apprehension making his chest tight. 

"Kill her." Sidious's voice breaks the silence. "Kill the Jedi." 

Ahsoka tenses at the command, ready to defend herself and Skywalker.

"As you command." He raises his blade up, the red tip a mere foot away from Ahsoka's twin blades. "My master." 

_Coward._

* * *

Anakin could do nothing but watch as the duel commenced, as Ahsoka's quick movements overcame Vader's slow strikes. He is left behind in the whirlwind of their movements. 

Sidious is watching this display with greedy eyes. As if he is an owner looking for a slave. It is a look Anakin remembers. He would always remember those eyes. The way they stripped him of everything and turned him into nothing but numbers. 

His name is Anakin Skywalker and he is a person. 

Despite his exhaustion, Anakin climbs to his feet but not to rejoin the fight. No, Ahsoka could hold her own. He had to finish something that was started long ago. 

His feet finds himself standing before Sidious, his hand gripping his lightsaber so hard it hurt. 

Sidious just looks at him expectantly. 

His jaw aches as he opens his mouth, his voice rough even to his own ears. "Let her go." He could almost hear Ahsoka's chiding voice in his head. The ground is colder than he remembered, his knees rumble a protest as he kneels. 

_Is this one of your weird plans Master?_

"Let her go, and I will remain." 


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things fall into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done with this Arc! And then back to the past! Time to save the galaxy.

There was a moment of stillness, a moment of perfect calm where are you can hear was the soft buzzing sounds of lightsabers and quick shallow breaths. 

"I accept your kind offer young Skywalker." 

Sidious looks at him as if he were a possession, a prize at some fucked up game. Like he won. 

Anakin tried to look pleased but he was sure he looked like someone had told him his wife died and then laughed.  He was never good at looking serene. The best he could manage was surly and that took effort. Anger was easier to grasp and hold onto. All it needed was a spark. 

What of love? The look on his wife's face when he returns home? The brotherhood he has with his friend and teacher. The relationship he has with his padawan? 

The servos in his hand whined as his grip tightened. 

Just a little bit more and he could wipe that smarmy look off Sidious's face. 

"Master!" Ahsoka looked devastated. Heartbroken.

All he could fee from Vader was coldness. Nothingness. Anakin wasn't sure what to make of his future self. Yes, he felt fury. Yes, he wanted to rip his mask off and watch him die. But he did not understand him and that irked Anakin more than he would like to admit. Of all the things he had striven for, he could never attain mastery of himself. 

But he would have never turned his back on the people he loved. 

He would have _found_ a way. 

Suddenly a ghost appeared between him and Palpatine. It was that youngling, the one that had lured him to this room. Even while kneeling, Anakin was at eye level with the boy. Images flickered into existence in his mind's eye, drawn in, dragging in. He was lost in the grasp of a nightmare. 

_There was fear. So much fear. Disjointed images danced and bleed together until they coalesced into a familiar room. They were in the High Council chamber. The safest place. Where the greatest Jedi convened. It was where Master Yoda is. It was safe._

_The door opened with a hiss and out stepped a familiar figure. A glimmer of hope fluttered into existence. The boy stepped out from behind the council chair._

_"Master Skywalker. There are too many of them what are we going to do?"_

He knew what happened next. He had felt the residuals of it in the air, decades old pain staining the ground like blood. 

_"Anakin, you're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I cannot follow."_

_Padme clutching her throat, her voice cracking as she cries out for him. As she falls to the ground-_

Anakin felt his awareness drift to the present. It was as if nothing had happened, barely a second has passed in real time. He takes a sharp inhale. 

_Palpatine stands in front of him, his face ruined, the body of dead Jedi Masters littering his room. The triumphant smile on his face as he speaks._

"My boy? You look quite unwell." 

He dragged his gaze away from the Force ghost to Palpatine. It took effort. All he could feel was fire. Every part of him burned. 

_The air is stiflingly hot and it sinks into his chest._

_"It's over Anakin, I have the high ground."_

_The words curl in his mouth like ash. "You underestimate my power."_

It was the sharp pain of that memory that draws him to the present. A familiar sensation that he could never forget. The sudden sense of loss as he lost his arm to Dooku. 

"I am not yours." Came the whisper from his chapped lips as he stood. 

Dimly, Anakin was aware of fighting from around them. The cavalry has arrived. He could sense Kanan in the force and Obi-Wan. Like an island surrounded by tumultuous waters, Palpatine remained where he was as the ebbs and tides of battle flowed around him. From where they stood, Anakin could see everything. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were fighting Vader while Kanan provided backup along with Hera. 

He knows what he must do. 

Anakin wades into the battle as they escape. It is later that he pulls Ahsoka and Obi-Wan together into a room. Aside from a few burns, they all escaped relatively unscathed. Aside from the emotional turmoil of course. Obi-Wan looked older if that were possible. Ahsoka looked mulish and disagreeable, more like a teenager than she has ever been. 

"We have to talk." Anakin began. 

"Yeah." Ahsoka interrupted, scowling. 

Anakin braced himself. 

"What was that about? What were you doing? What were you planning? Did you even think?" Ahsoka's voice rose with each sentence. "You gave me heart palpitations. Do you understand how rare that is in a healthy Togruta?" 

 "I'm sorry." 

"Not to mention you left me! You just decided to wander away from me and we nearly lost the mission. If it weren't for Kanan we would have failed. Everything could have been lost. What possessed you to do that? Augh! Now I really understand why Obi-Wan went gray." 

Obi-Wan made a noise of protest. He had a full head of hair and he wasn't even graying despite Anakin's attempts. But he did not stop Ahsoka's tirade. It was about time someone else lectured Anakin on his hair brained schemes and lack of foresight. 

 "I saw a ghost." Anakin said quietly. "A youngling. I followed him." 

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "A trap?" 

"I don't know." He took a deep breath steeling himself for what he was about to reveal. "I had a vision. I know what Vader did. What I did. He was part of the invading force that took the temple. He killed Jedi. He- " 

Anakin closed his eyes and centered himself.

"He killed them. The younglings. I saw myself cut them down." 

Silence filled the cabin. 

Ahsoka didn't know what to say. And Obi-Wan? Quiet. Distant. 

"You knew. Didn't you." Anakin said softly. "There must of been recordings. You would have gone back to the Temple to save whoever had survived the killings." There was a slight tremor in his voice. 

He had failed his master in all the ways that had mattered. Forget leaving the Jedi. Forget having a child. All of those transgressions meant nothing in the face of what he had done. 

It wasn't even the fact that it was Vader who committed such acts. It was that Anakin Skywalker was _capable_ of it. 

That he was able to strike down younglings. 

That Obi-Wan, his brother, would not tell him. 

"Anakin- " 

"No! No. You can't leave this stuff unspoken. You should have told me. I deserved to know what I- what- " Anakin struggles for words. "We fought. I remember that. Well, not remember exactly. I know you left me on the banks. You left me to burn." 

His former master looks weary. Aged. 

"You should have killed me." He remembers the howls of rage as Obi-Wan walked away and leaves him there. 

"You would asked that of me?" 

"I think, at that point, I would have begged for it." Not for forgiveness, no the hate had blinded him to everything. The pain had fueled him then as he died in inches.

Anakin pressed a gloved hand against his face. He is shaking. His arm trembles. He can't stop himself from seeing those tiny corpses strewn across the council room floor. He can't stop hearing Padme's voice as she pleads with him. Or the all consuming fire as it devours his body. The hatred is dull. It was never his to start with. It is the pain that remains, the fear that lingers in his throat.

Fear has always been his constant companion. 

"I wouldn't have been able to kill Vader either." Ahsoka chimes in softly. "Not for lack of skill but- I would have faltered. It would be like cutting off a limb. Losing a part of yourself." 

She has wound her arms around her body, tightly, as if to shield herself. 

Anakin knew for certain that the sentiment would not be shared. All he felt from Vader was rage towards Obi-Wan. His emotions were a ball of conflicting feelings, memories and desires. 

He breaths in deeply. 

There was too much history between them all. The universe has continued on, the ones he called his friends had changed and were tempered by the storms that had scarred the galaxy. 

 "Anakin." Obi-Wan has finally deigned to speak. "I didn't want to burden you. That is why I did not tell you the truth. What good would it have done if I had revealed Vader's actions? You are not him. His actions are not yours. You are two separate people. Vader killed Anakin Skywalker that day." 

But that isn't true. Now, Anakin could see the fragments of the person Vader used to be. It was buried under a mountain of pain and regret and sorrow and anger. Vader had decided to continue on the path set before him. 

Was it worth it? Anakin wondered. All that Vader did and he lost everything. 

"Padme was pregnant. He did it....for her." His throat felt thick as he spoke. "She came to you and he- You do realize Master, you're 99% of my impulse control." 

Obi-Wan looked nonplussed. 

"How did she die, Obi-Wan? Did I...did I kill her?"

Anakin thinks of Padme raising a child by herself and watching the democracy she fought for die. Padme would have fought. She and her rebellion would be thorns prickling at the Empire's side. Anakin thought of the force sensitive girl he met on Naboo. Padme would have raised a fighter. She would be smart and strong in the Force. 

Their child would have found the goodness in Vader. 

"No." Obi-Wan's voice is gentle. "This line of questioning would lead to nothing good." 

"You're right." Anakin looks over at Ahsoka and for a split second, he sees a small child in padawan robes by her knee. Ahsoka would have made a wonderful teacher. "I think she would have made a fine Jedi. Padme would rather have her be a diplomat, most likely, but I think she'd just been a kickass Jedi. Tiny but fierce."

Feelings of love and affection blooms in his chest.

"Wherever you are." Anakin whispers. "Know that I love you and we will greet each other properly next time."

* * *

On Tattooine, Luke Skywalker places a hand against chest. He had felt something like a hug, if that was the right description. Something warm enveloped his entire body. It makes his head feel light and his body heavy. Like he wasn't alone. Luke returns to his pilot application. Maybe that guy was right. There were other ways that he could learn how to fly. 

On Naboo, Leia stares out into the night sky and she feels a suddenly inexplicable feeling of love. The warmth of a parent's hug. It lingers over her skin like an over sized cloak. For some reason, she does not retreat indoors as she scrolls through the reports even as the night got chillier. 


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And they all live happily ever after....

It was in the middle of the night when it happened, a sudden startling snap and then nothing. Obi-Wan had woken up in a panic falling out of his bed onto the floor a hand to his chest. A cold chill flooded his system as he got up immediately searching out with the Force for his pupil's brilliant force presence. He reached out into the Force and came up empty. Ahsoka's panicked call kept him up for the rest of the night. 

Now she was back at the Temple in her old room that she used to live in. 

It was decided that it was best for her to be here. The Mind Healers could monitor her more easily than if she was on the other side of the galaxy. They were also supposed to monitor him as well despite his assurances that he was fine. He had weathered loss before and this was no different. Or that was what Obi-Wan was telling himself. 

So far, the media has been held at bay. The Jedi could not confirm Anakin's death. Even the troopers from the 501st did not see his star fighter get shot down. They had all retreated from battle and convened at a previously decided point. A headcount had been conducted and Anakin's noticeable lack of presence was instantly identified. They had "lost" their general. Misplaced would be the appropriate word. It wasn't as if Anakin was a bad pilot. The most likely scenario would be that his starfighter was damaged and he was stranded somewhere in the vastness of space. 

Perhaps, he wasn't dead. Perhaps he had broken his bonds with his former master and padawan because he was in danger. But Anakin was never good at cloaking himself. He shined far too brightly for that. 

Still, it was traumatic to break a Force bond. Anakin could have been completely cut off from the Force like Obi-Wan was when he had been captured. That could be the only explanation. However, there has been now news of Anakin being captured and dangled before the Jedi. All their contacts told them the same thing. They had some data about some Separatist plots but aside from that there has been no mention of a captured Jedi.

While others may have offered condolences Obi-Wan accepted them politely but that was it. Anakin couldn't be dead. He was far too stubborn to die and far too brilliant to let a damaged starfighter keep him from coming home. He was the Chosen One, there was no way his destiny was for him to die in such a manner. 

"Master Kenobi?" Ahsoka had deigned to remain with him trailing after him like some lost child and not the Jedi that they both knew that she was. "Do you- do you think we'll find him?" 

While Obi-Wan would not accept the possibility that Anakin may be head, Ahsoka took it a step further and demanded to head a rescue group to look for her master. In front of the Jedi Council no less. It was very reminiscent of a certain bull headed person that they had all come to know and love. Anakin had trained her well. 

Luckily, the Jedi Council approved her request albeit with a few deviations. Due to the high tempo of the war, they had a time restriction and a resources restriction. They also had to be discrete. 

No clone troopers. No help. Just the two of them combing that sector of space where Anakin was last seen. Possible calculated hyperspace coordinates that he would have gone to. 

Over the coms system, Ahsoka sounded so young and so afraid. He wasn't even sure how she was handling everything. Loss takes everyone differently. 

"I don't know." Obi-Wan answered honestly. 

"I was meditating last night and I was trying to look for him but all I felt and all I saw was...." Ahsoka made a breathy noise. "Darkness." 

He had felt it too. A sudden chill that swept over his bones leaving an ache in his chest that he could not get rid of. 

"But in that darkness, I...I thought I saw him. It was like a dream. A vision. He told me to meet him at this place and time. When I woke up, I wrote it all down." 

It was a set of coordinates and a time. They were now waiting in the emptiness of space. 

"Was it just a dream? Something I made up in my desperation to find my Master?" 

Jedi do not dream. Their minds were too organized for that. Meditation was used to figure out all the loose pieces and to fit them together. That was what dreaming was for. The brain trying to make sense of what it had seen. 

"I do not know. It was something that you felt very strongly about. I am confident in your abilities Ahsoka." 

Even if he could not see her, Obi-Wan knew she was smiling. 

They both waited in the shadow of the moon. Time ticked down. 

Five minutes.

Four.

Three.

Two

One

"I got contact. Something is coming out of hyperspace." Shields and weapons were primed. A message could be sent within minutes if this all turned out to be an elaborate trap. 

Two Jedi starfighters appeared and with it, came a rendering familiarity as one that was most decidedly Anakin Skywalker's ship did a barrel roll. Strangely enough, Obi-Wan couldn't feel him in the Force. The bond between them was still broken but it was Anakin. It was the distinctive way he flew. It was his voice across the coms. 

"Meet me on the planet." 

The second ship flew after the first towards the planet's surface. Obi-Wan and Ahsoka followed. Ahsoka was strangely silent. 

* * *

 

Ahsoka landed her craft and climbed out landing on the planet's surface. She watched as two figures approached. She could sense that they were both force sensitive but she could not determine who they were. It was as if she was scanning and all she could find were two blurry blips. They were cloaked. But one of them was Anakin Skywalker. She was sure of it. It had to be. 

"Master?" 

Jedi or not, it was difficult to lose habits. 

Anakin Skywalker stopped a few feet before her. Ahsoka looked him over from boots to his face. He looked _tired_. There were scratches on his face that looked newly healed. He felt muted, not just in the Force but emotionally. He looked older as well. He just looked different in ways she could identify. Burdened. 

"Anakin. It is good to see you and your...friend?" Master Kenobi asked pleasantly. But she could hear the strained tone in his voice. 

"Obi-Wan. I have a story to tell you." Anakin said with a small strained laugh. "It is good to see you. And you, Ahsoka." 

Suddenly guilt flooded Ahsoka as she remembered she had promised to call and she didn't. She stared at the ground embarrassed. Good job adulting Ahsoka. 

"You're being mean Skyguy." Said a soft _familiar_ voice. A hand touched her chin and lifted her head. "Hey." 

Ahsoka looked at the other Togruta.  Then she stared.

"What?" 

"Ahsoka Tano." Said Ahsoka Tano. The older Togruta grinned toothily. "Pleased to meet you." 

Vaguely, she could hear Master Kenobi and Anakin speaking or was it arguing? She couldn't really focus on anything but the anomaly before her.

"Hi." Ahsoka said in a tiny voice. 

Her eyes drifted to the curved lightsabers on the Togruta's belt. Her fingers itched to touch them. She caught the look in herself? Her older self? Her bigger self? Wait a sec!

"You're tall." Ahsoka remarked awkwardly. 

"We hit a growth spurt in a year or so. Shoot up like a weed." 

"Nice." 

What do you say to an older and far more cooler you? 

_Are you dating anyone?_

"Do you have a padawan?"

 The older Togruta Jedi looks at her sadly. "No. I am not a Jedi." 

* * *

 "Anakin." Obi-Wan hissed. He didn't miss the reveal of the other Jedi. He simply had questions. Questions that Anakin was going to answer or so help him. 

"Obi-Wan." Anakin looked a tiny bit amused at the interactions between his two padawans. "I have a lot to tell you and we have a lot of work to do." 

"Oh really? You can start with why there are two Ahsoka's here. Or why you- you never cloaked yourself in the Force before. Where did you go? What happened?" 

"I suppose I can start with the most important one." Anakin finally looked serious, his jaw set and his eyes focused. "It is about the Sith Lord." 

Obi-Wan gestured for Anakin to continue. 

"It's Palpatine." Anakin pauses and then continues. "I went to the future. I saw the Empire he built on the ashes of the Republic."  

Slowly the color began to drain out of Obi-Wan's face. 

"The clones are programmed to betray us. All of them and they damn near well manage to wipe us all out. They killed everyone." 

Anakin frowns, a twist in his lips. 

"Worst of all, I went to the dark side and betrayed us all. I failed you Master. I fail everyone I ever loved and cared about." 

"What? How? Anakin? Are you okay? Did you- what are you- " 

"Ahsoka can tell you more. She's here to help. We're going to stop this from happening. All of it. And I need your help." 

Obi-Wan looked at the man he called his brother and friend. He saw his desperation. He saw his fear. His sorrow. Even without the Force bond, he knew Anakin and he knew when his shields were up. He knew when Anakin was as unreadable as a stone pillar. He had seen Anakin at his best and at his worst and he loved him. Despite the crazy that was coming out of Anakin's lips, there was a shred of truth in them. The large and unavoidable one was the much older Ahsoka Tano. Or the darkness that he could feel settled around Anakin's shoulders like a cloak. 

Something had happened to him. Time travel. It was insane yet the evidence speaks of the contrary. 

"What do you need me to do?" 

Relief pours from Anakins' frame. He steps forward and pulls Obi-Wan into a hug. 

"I missed you Master." 

"And I you."

Anakin reluctantly pulls away. "We got a lot of work to do. And before you say it, no, we can't tell anyone. Not the Council and not the Republic. We hold the advantage right now. Palpatine doesn't know that we know. He can't accelerate his plan. He can't activate the clones." 

"Do you have any idea in what to do?" 

"Yeah. I do." He indicated to Ahsoka. "That's where she comes in." 

"Good lord." Obi-Wan had noted her presence but he hadn't really noticed. It is hard to concentrate when your former padawan starts spouting about time travel and darkside and well, frankly, being alive. "Why is everyone taller than me?" 

Anakin smirked. "Haven't the faintest clue." 

"You and I will have much to discuss. I suspect everyone will." 

"Oh. And one more thing." 

"Hm?" 

"I married Padme." 

* * *

 

The End! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's done. Yay. I actually finish something. I'll start writing a sequel up and hopefully have the first draft soon. The sequel should just be a chapter long. Wrapping everything up in a neat bow.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/12815472/chapters/29256519
> 
> The sequel!


End file.
